John Wayne Vassar

John Wayne Vassar

11-27-1947 to 8-17-2026

John Wayne Vassar, 78, of Edmond, Oklahoma, died August 17, 2026, leaving behind a family who loved him deeply.

Wayne was born to John & Eva Vassar in Kansas City, MO on Nov 27, 1947. He is the oldest of 5 children. His surviving siblings are Jan Swalley of Humboldt, KS, & Bill Vassar (Cathy) of Trimble, MO. He was preceded in death by both parents and two of his brothers, Roger Vassar & Steve Vassar.

Wayne married Terri Lou Wade in 1967 and they later divorced. Their 3 children are: Deborah Lynn Vassar of St. Louis, MO, Aimee Louise McConnell (Jesse) of Fort Collins, CO, and Travis Wayne Vassar (Shannon) of Springfield, MO. Grandchildren include Ami Vassar, Fiona McConnell, Remy Vassar & Vivianne Vassar.

In 1998, Wayne and Linda Jo Adcock married in Perkins, OK. They enjoyed 27 years of marriage. His step-children are: Bryan Keith Adcock of Edmond, OK and Emily Kathryn White (Jeff) of Edmond, OK. Step-grandchildren include Eli White, Drew Adcock, Maddyson White, Luke Adcock and Catherine Adcock.

If you ever met John Wayne Vassar, you would want to be his friend. He was a natural giver. His life has been a testimony of goodness and intelligence. You could not find a more generous and genuine human. Wayne participated fully in life – He was not merely a spectator!! He put others first and was always willing to lend a helping hand.

Wayne explored and developed his many God-given talents. He was like a beautiful diamond with many facets!

As a young man, Wayne spent a lot of time with his dad and brother, Roger, working on and achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. During high school, Wayne participated in sprinting and the long jump in track. Wayne started working at the age of 14 flipping burgers and making fries! He spent a lot of his youth attending church with his family, especially enjoying the youth group with friends. Wayne said he gave his heart to the Lord at a Billy Graham Crusade. As an adult, Wayne served as a deacon for his church congregation. 

Things Wayne enjoyed as he grew into adulthood were: Hunting, fishing, fly fishing, swimming, being Captain of his own Beneteau sailboat, flying and owning several varieties of private airplanes – including his Twin Engine Barron, Cessna 195 Taildragger, Cessna Cardinal & Bonanza V-Tail, traveling, scuba diving, golfing, singing in choirs and a Barbershop Quartet, guitar playing, dancing, beekeeping, antique tractors (Poppin’ Johnny was his fav), trapping, gardening, producing row crops…and the list goes on! If you knew Wayne, he was also always on the cutting edge of technology and he was always on the go, often only sleeping 5-6 hours per night!

While in his 2nd year of post college studies (1967), Wayne was drafted into the Navy. His ability to handle guns was evident and he was put in charge of the firing range and training of sailors in the use of the 45 automatic gun. He served 6 years total with active duty and the reserves. Wayne is very patriotic and proud to have served the United States of America.

As a Biologist with a Bachelors from Southern Missouri State (now Missouri State Univ.) and a Master’s degree from Colorado State University, Wayne launched his career in Pratt, KS by helping create and implementing SASNAK (Kansas Fish and Game).

Then, he served the Forest Service as a Crew Chief, writing prescribed burns for battling forest fires. This job gave him the seed money to further his career and start a joint venture with his friend, Stan Brown, where they took native grasses and wild flowers and helped reproduce them, which was on the cutting edge of the industry for that time.

Wayne’s lifetime professions centered around agriculture. He could identify almost any grass, tree or flower, including both the common and scientific names. This led to his joint ownership of Sharp Brothers Seed Company of Missouri for 20+ years. He would fly his own business planes to identify crops and then they would negotiate with the land owners, harvest, process and sell the native grass and wildflower seeds throughout the US and other countries. At this same time, Wayne served on the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) as Regional VP for the MO area.

Wayne was a sports enthusiast, always wanting to go to games or watching them on tv – Pro & College sports – KC Chiefs football, OKC Thunder basketball, KS Royals baseball, and anything his kids and grandkids were participating in.

In his close to retirement years, Wayne started and operated the Gun Library for Cabelas in OKC and made many friends there. He is a gun expert and enthusiast and had to pass a very in-depth gun test to have this position. He also would daily watch the Cow Man market reports on tv. Above all, Wayne loved spending time with his family and friends. They meant the world to him!

Wayne supported and was a member of many great organizations, but he had a love for the following: Lifetime member of Ducks Unlimited, Lifetime member of Trout Forever and Lifetime sponsor of Quail Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, ASTA, NRA Life Member, Soil Conservation Society, SASNAK, The Southern Seedsman, Missouri Crop Improvement, Range Society, Red Cross, Rotary, The Elks & the Clinton Missouri Airport Pilot’s Association – serving as President and other leadership roles for more than one group while supporting his community!

Viewing will be held on Thursday, August 20, 2026 from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at Matthews Funeral Home, Edmond, Oklahoma.

The Funeral Service will be Friday, August 21, 2026, 1:00 p.m. at Waterloo Church of the Nazarene, Edmond, Oklahoma.

 Lunch is provided prior to the service from 11:30-12:30.

A Graveside Service will be Friday, August 21, 2026, 3:30 p.m. at Glenwood Cemetery, on Fairgrounds Road in Perkins, Oklahoma.

Donations in Wayne’s honor can be made to one of your favorite charities or you could plant a tree through the Matthews Funeral Home website in honor of Wayne’s love for nature.