His education started in a rural one-room school that housed grades 1 through 8; however, the family moved to a farm near Madrid, Nebraska in time for his 6th grade year and he graduated from Madrid High School as the class salutatorian in 1944.
He was drafted into the Army in November 1944, entering active duty for World War II the following January. After basic training, he was transferred to the Philippine Islands as a member of the 16th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division where, serving as a member of the Quartermaster Corps, his unit prepared for the invasion of Japan. After the Japanese surrender in August 1945, he served in the Army of Occupation there until October 1946 when he was honorably discharged.
Wayne attended college on the GI Bill after the war, majoring in Agricultural Education at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and graduated in January 1951. While there he met and married Jacqueline “Jackie” Ann Ficke in November 1950.
Upon graduation, Wayne taught Vocational Agriculture in Campbell, Nebraska for a year and a half, followed by working with the Poultry Marketing Cooperative in Loomis, Nebraska. In 1957, he began his Extension Career as a County Agent in Merrick County, living in Central City, where he served for 16 years. While in this position, he earned his Master’s Degree in 1967.
In 1975, Wayne was hired as an Area Irrigation Specialist to the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District, moving to Carrington, North Dakota. He served 16 years in the development, management, and operation of irrigation systems. He retired from this position in 1991. After a brief hiatus, he returned to work once again with the Garrison Diversion Project, retiring a second and final time in 1996.
In 2001, Wayne and Jackie moved to Clive, Iowa, where they lived with their daughter, Anne, and her family until their respective deaths.
Wayne displayed considerable skill in carpentry and woodworking which he learned from his father. He was always creating and improving projects. Examples of his work are found in the churches he attended, at offices where he worked, and in the homes of family and friends.
Wayne’s devotion to others was also manifest in his devotion to family. He and Jackie raised five children: Dwight, Dale, Annette, Susan, and Cathleen. They were proud grandparents of ten grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
He was an active member of the United Methodist Church in each of the places he and his family lived. At each church, he was involved in leadership roles as well as helping keep the property in good repair and engaging in special woodworking projects.
Wayne was preceded in death by his parents, Herbert and Anna “Gertrude” Burbank; his sisters, Mary Anderson, Leta Batie, and Laura Atkins; his wife, Jacqueline (Ficke) Burbank; his son, Dwight Burbank; and his granddaughter, Rebekah Burbank.
Wayne is survived by his children, Dale (Jane) Burbank of Gillette, Wyoming; Annette “Anne” (Michael) Wagner of Clive, Iowa; Susan “Sue” (Doyle) Burbank-Williams of Lincoln, Nebraska; and Cathleen “Cathy” (Chase) Boardman of Clive, Iowa. He is also survived by nine grandchildren, Ellen (Walter) Schaefer of Hillsdale, Wyoming; Anna Burbank of Buffalo, Wyoming; Rachel (Shane) Wilson of West Des Moines, Iowa; Aaron Wagner (Kristi Cobb) of Denver, Colorado; Timothy Wagner of Des Moines, Iowa; Brian Williams (Kaitlyn Ash) of Lincoln, Nebraska; Margaret Williams of Lincoln, Nebraska; Noeline Boardman of Clive, Iowa; and Jacqueline Boardman of Clive, Iowa; and six great-grandchildren, Jamison Wagner, Hailey Locke, Ainsley Wilson, Kinley Wilson, Landon Wilson, and Wynonna Williams. He is also survived by his sister, Vaunia Miyoshi of Denver, Colorado and his brother, John (Nancee) Burbank of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, November 10, 2023, at New Visions United Methodist Church, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Visitation will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the church prior to the funeral with a lunch following the service.
Interment will take place at 2:30 p.m. at Fairview Cemetery, Lincoln, Nebraska.
A memorial service will be held at Walnut Hills United Methodist Church in Urbandale, Iowa, on Sunday, November 12, 2023, at 3:00 p.m.
Memorials may be given to Walnut Hills United Methodist Church or to the World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana.