Wayne Liston Sr.

On April 29, 2021, Wayne Ralph Liston, Sr., Best Dad Ever, made the leap to eternity to be reunited with his beloved wife, Merilyn Kay (Willis) Liston.

Wayne was born to Henry and Rachel (Goodwin) Liston on December 28, 1925. Wayne, his older sister Donna and his younger brother Dick had a great time growing up in South Gate, CA, Emmet, ID and Bell Gardens, CA. Their wonderful parents made sure they never went without and knew they were dearly loved.

In 1947, Wayne met the love of his life on a young adult bus trip to the St George temple. By the time they got back to Huntington Park, Merilyn was sitting on his lap, listening to him tell ghost stories. He called her for a date the next night. She said yes, and they dated every night for two weeks before getting engaged and every day after that until they married in the Mesa temple on February 17, 1948. Wayne and Merilyn are the proud parents of four fabulous children: Lorraine, Janine, Melodee and Wayne Jr. Raising a family in Southern California was an adventure—so many places to go and things to do. We loved going on vacations to Crestline, Balboa Island, Big Bear, Capistrano Beach and Cambria, plus many trips to Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm. In 1992, Merilyn and Wayne were inspired to move to St. George, Utah. They made many wonderful friends and enjoyed their Bloomington neighborhood. They were inseparable for almost 72 years until her death in October 2019.

Wayne proudly served in the U.S. Navy in World War II as a Sonarman on a destroyer ship, the USS Damon M Cummings. Stationed in the Pacific Ocean, he and his shipmates were blessed to make it safely through the war. After the war, he worked for several different companies, then decided a 9-5 job was not for him. He went into sales for a more flexible schedule. His favorite job was designing and selling residential and commercial air conditioning and heating systems. He also enjoyed driving all over Southern California to appointments, meeting people and helping them pick the best system or product for their needs. He finally retired at the age of 80.

Wayne was a life-long member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He served in many positions including Bishop, High Council, Elders Quorum and Scoutmaster.

Wayne is survived by his daughters: Lorraine, Janine and Melodee; and son-in-law Don Johnson. He was preceded in death by his eternal sweetheart Merilyn, his son Wayne, and his grandson Chris. He was also preceded in death by his parents and siblings.

Dad was a wonderful man who brought joy to our lives. Cheerful, kind and loving, he had a great sense of humor and loved to tease us, make us laugh, and cheer us up when we were down. He lives on in our hearts. We’re so glad he’s once again with Mom. Thanks for everything, Dad! You’re the best!

A graveside service will be held on Friday, May 7, 2021 at 11:00am at the Tonaquint Cemetery 1770 S. Dixie Drive, St George, Utah 84770.

In remembrance and celebration of this wonderful man, greet everyone with a smile, be kind, and laugh joyfully every day!