Wayne O. Gunnelson, 92, of Mercy House, Chambersburg, PA, and formerly of Waynesboro, PA, died on July 29, 2024.
Wayne was born October 13, 1931, in Beloit, WI, the son of Otis W. and Josephine E. Gunnelson. He graduated from Beloit Memorial High School in 1949 and attended the University of Wisconsin after working a year at the Gardner Machine Company, South Beloit, Illinois. Wayne completed the Industrial and Engineering Program at the Landis Tool Company – Litton.
Wayne married W. Fay Balsiger on March 10, 1956, at Christ United Methodist Church in Waynesboro, PA. She preceded him in death on April 21, 2006. Wayne’s sister, Joan Russell, of Madison, WI, died in 2019. Wayne is survived by his daughter Sherry L. LaBella (Mark L. LaBella) of Cape Coral, FL, two granddaughters (Angela and Christi LaBella), a niece and nephew of Madison, WI, and several cousins near Cambridge, WI.
Wayne took courses at Hagerstown Junior College, Penn State Mont Alto campus, and special patent programs at John Marshall and George Washington Law Schools. He was the Patent Department Manager and technical writer at Litton the last 13 years of his 32 years at Litton. Wayne also served two years in the U.S. Army at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, from 1957 to 1959. He also sold real estate in Pennsylvania and Maryland for over 25 years.
Wayne enjoyed golf, tennis, bridge, photography, and painting. Wayne was a member of the Landis Foremen’s Club and Golf Group, the Men’s Bible Club at Christ United Methodist Church, the Waynesboro Tennis Association, and the Studio Club.
Services and burial will be private and at the convenience of the family.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Antietam Humane Society, 8513 Lyons Road, Waynesboro, PA 17268.
Grove-Bowersox Funeral Home, Waynesboro is handling the arrangements.
