Page created by: RuthAnn Becker

(Arthur) Wayne Breeland -- loving father and uncle, devoted and faithful husband, caring son and brother, brilliant attorney, true friend and Parkinson's warrior -- died on August 9, 2024, one month before his 94th birthday. Throughout his life, Wayne walked the Christian walk and as such was a light to others. A quiet man, he had a wry wit that often caught people off guard. His natural leadership showed itself through his service in the US Army JAG Corps, followed by service in the US Army Reserve, from which he retired with the rank of Colonel. He had many service stories he loved to tell, but perhaps his favorite was his Honor Flight trip to Washington, DC.

His discipline and determination led to success in all he pursued. After his graduation as #3 in his law class at U. of Oklahoma, he pursued a long career as an admired oil & gas attorney, was admitted to the Bar of the US Supreme Court, and eventually started his own practice. But if asked, he'd have said his family was most important to him.

While stationed as a JAG Corps officer at Fort Hood, TX, Wayne met Irmgard, a widow, and her 6 year-old daughter RuthAnn at the First Baptist Church. They married in 1957 and built a close-knit family in Tulsa, OK, along with his salt-of-the-earth mother who'd moved to Oklahoma Territory when she was a girl, and his twin brother who was his opposite in avocation but identical in values. The family grew when Irmgard's sister and brother-in-law moved to Tulsa with their daughter and Wayne's and Irmgard's niece Susan Bower McCoy. The family later grew to include a nephew-in-law, two grand-nephews plus their wives and seven children.

In 1981 Wayne and Irmgard moved from Tulsa to Dallas TX for him to take the position of VP and General Counsel of Hrubetz Oil Company. After retiring from that company, he continued to practice law, consulting with Hunt Oil Co. and other oil exploration entities. Irmgard passed away in 1998 after 41 years of marriage that blessed them both. Wayne remarried in 2001, then later separated from his second wife..

In 2017, Wayne moved into a North Dallas senior community, excited to start a new and joyous phase of life, focused on finding gratitude every day, no matter the challenges. As with his previous life, his new one was marked by daily exercise, sometimes on his own, and four times a week with a "Parkinsonians" group of people bonded together as warriors in the shared cause of living and doing their best. He did so well in his group exercise, he was invited to join Rock Steady Boxing, in which he excelled.

Wayne loved breakfast at home with his daily devotional reading, and dinner every evening with friends. He had the good fortune to travel in Europe and Hawaii, but always claimed Oklahoma as his favorite. He was an avid reader, particularly of books based on Oklahoma and WWII history; a consumer of news, largely political; and an enthusiastic supporter of his favorite football teams, the OU Sooners, U. of Tulsa Golden Hurricane and the Dallas Cowboys. He loved music, from opera and symphonic, to Rodgers & Hammerstein and gospel music, and was an aficionado of British drama and comedy.

Throughout his life, Wayne was an exemplary role model for how to rise to meet challenges by relying on one's faith. Parkinson's was his great challenge in his last year, and he fought that battle with determination and graciousness. In the end, he won by being an inspiration to others.