Wayne Everidge

When you first meet Wayne Everidge, you’ll probably take notice of his trim physique, ready smile, and pleasant greeting. Talking to him, you soon realize that his adherence to a schedule that includes daily walks helps account for his healthy glow and that the smile comes from a genuine desire to connect and engage in conversation. His thirty years and nine days working as a salesman for the American Tobacco Company provided many opportunities to gain “people skills” and to naturally greet people in a friendly and sincere manner. 

As you talk, the smile soon changes to a hearty laugh while he tells about his career, and if you encourage him, Wayne will delight you with tales about colorful characters he encountered while traveling a huge sales territory that included sizeable portions of Virginia and West Virginia. Many years of international traveling with Helen, his late wife of fifty years, and close friends (some whom now reside at WC) add additional material to his repertoire. Yet, he will carefully mention that the three letters on his license plate—VDL—stand for “Very Dull Life”—and that he excels in “being fairly active, doing nothing.” 

Born in Columbus, Georgia, where he lived until age six, the untimely death of his father caused him, along with his five siblings and mother (originally from Nelson County), to move to Lynchburg to be close to relatives who could offer assistance to the family. Following his 1953 graduation from E.C. Glass High School, he initially enjoyed the life of a teenager without responsibilities, but finally, along with some buddies, decided to enlist in the U. S. Army, as opposed to the Navy, his former choice during high school. 

Wayne served in Korea and, in 1956, at the end of his first tour of duty, returned to the United States and bid good-bye to that experience. Uncertain as to what to do next, he joined a sister in Arizona for two years. But eventually the Mid-Atlantic region seemed like home and he returned to Lynchburg where he would soon meet Helen (be sure and ask for that story), married, raised two sons, and embarked upon what became a successful sales career. He opted for retirement in 1993. 

Now that Wayne has sold his Rainbow Forest home of many years and is comfortably settled in his Creekside apartment, he looks forward to checking out the various walking trails on the WC campus, as well as joining the Sole Mates Walking Club on various hikes in and around the Hill City; and if you frequent the Wellness Center, you may encounter him there because he has established an exercise regimen to strengthen his knees.