Wayne Harris Asay

Wayne Harris Asay of Evanston Wyoming passed away Friday, September 18, 2026. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 95, surrounded by his family.

Wayne was born October 13, 1930 in Lovell Wyoming to Orson Vern Asay and Ella Fay Harris Asay, he had eight brothers and sisters.

Wayne is survived by sons, Harris (Marion) Asay, Bernard (Kathy) Asay, Brad (Audrey) Asay; daughter Cristi (Scott) Sidwell; and son-in-law, Gene Hutchinson. He is also survived by his brothers, Dave Asay, and Kay (Tamara) Asay, as well as his 22 grandchildren, 74 great-grandchildren, and 21 great-great -grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his Wife Dorothy Marie Heiden Asay; his parents; his daughter, Bonnie Marie Hutchinson; one great- grandchild; and his siblings Orson Harris, Ida Vilate, Viola, Chester, Al, and Verna Fay.

Wayne grew up in Lovell, Wyoming, until the age of 10, when his family moved to Meeteetse. He attended a one-room schoolhouse for elementary school. During World War II, he helped on the family ranch, working so much that he missed school registration and had to travel to Denver to finish out the school year. He later played football for Meeteetse High School, little did he know the cute cheerleader on the sidelines would become his wife.

Shortly after graduating from high school, on June 16, 1948, he married the love of his life, Dorothy. Together, they set out on an adventure that would take them to Washington State, where he went to work in a lead mine. They had been on their way to Alaska when they ran out of money and ultimately settled in Washington. They remained there until Grandpa Harris sent them a letter asking them to return to Wyoming to help on the ranch. They answered the call and returned home, beginning the next chapter of their lives.

They started a family and, with four children, returned to school at the University of Wyoming. He earned his degree in Vocational Agriculture and Range Management. While attending the university, he was a student teacher in Laramie and graduated among the top ten students in his class.

After returning to the ranch for several more years, he began his career in county extension work. He accepted a position as an assistant county extension agent in Fremont County. He was later promised that if he would spend two years working in Evanston, he could return to Lander, but Evanston soon became home. He remained there and served as a County Extension Agent for Uinta County, dedicating many years to serving the community. He also served a term as Uinta County Commissioner. Throughout his career, he was involved with numerous boards, organizations and community projects.

After taking early retirement for health reasons, he continued to work and serve others. He helped with Mike Sims’ ranch and later worked as a consultant for Broadbent until the last year of his life. He was also instrumental in running the Church ranch for many years.

His faith was a cornerstone of his life. He was a faithful and active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many positions throughout the Church. Among his many callings, he served for five years as a bishop and spent many years serving on the High Council. He served five missions during his lifetime, including a two-year mission in Colorado Springs, and devoted many years to serving as a temple worker.

He was also a driving force behind the development and construction of the Uinta County Youth Camp and was instrumental in bringing the youth camp to Uinta County. It was his dream to create a place where young people could gather, learn, serve and make memories through 4-H. He poured his heart into making 4-H camp a fun and meaningful experience, and countless young people were touched by his enthusiasm, dedication and love for the program.

Throughout his life, he had a remarkable ability to find ways to serve– to his family, his faith, his community, the ranching community and especially the young people he cared so deeply about. His legacy can be seen in the many lives he touched, the organizations he helped build, and the generations of young people who carry memories of the 4-H camps he worked so hard to make special.

His was a life of hard work, faith, service, family and love for the Wyoming communities he called home.

The funeral for Wayne Asay will be held Saturday September 26, 2026 at 1:00 PM at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located at 721 West Cheyenne Drive, Evanston, WY.

There will be a viewing held on Friday, September 25th from 6:00pm -8:00pm and Saturday at 11:00am - 12:45pm at the church.

Interment will be at the Evanston Cemetery.