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Wayne Kermit Adams, son of Russell and Ruth (VanDyke) Adams, was born on the family farm near Huxley, Nebraska, on December 29, 1914.
In 1915 Wayne's parents bought a farm north of Broken Bow, Nebraska. Wayne started school there, attending the Lone Elm School, just inside of Sherman County line east of Mason City. In 1922, the family moved onto a farm in the Senate Valley known as the "Horne Place", six miles northeast of Broken Bow, where Wayne attended the Snake Run School. Wayne's aunts, Dorothy and Clara VanDyke, were teaching at this two-room school, and picked up Wayne every morning on their way to school.
While growing up, Wayne was heavily involved in 4-H, raising and showing hogs, and helped work the family farm. He continued helping work the family farm after graduation from high school, until age 21, when he started out on his own, renting and share-cropping parcels owned by local farmers.
Wayne then developed an interest in moving to the west coast, and traveled west. He made a short stop in Idaho, then continued on to Oregon, where he worked for awhile for his Uncle Will Hogg on his hog farm. After working at several places around the Willamette Valley, in the fall of 1937, Wayne returned to Nebraska. There was very little work to be had, so in December of that year, he returned to Oregon, staying and working with his Uncle Edgar VanDyke.
Evelyn Marie Vasey was the eldest daughter of a family that had migrated to Oregon from their home near the Nebraska-Kansas line. Wayne was introduced to Evelyn by her friend Marjorie VanDyke, who was Wayne's cousin. Wayne and Evelyn were married on October 31, 1938.
Wayne and Evelyn first rented a house south of Dundee, near Evelyn's family's home, where their first child, Wayne Jr. was born. Feeling isolated, they then moved back to the Willamette Valley, where Wayne found work on a dairy near Sherwood. Wayne worked at several dairies until he had an opportunity to buy his own dairy farm in 1946. In the spring of 1943, Wayne became a born-again Christian, and was baptized in the Christian Church at Halsey, Oregon. His Christian commitment was strong for the rest of his life.
Wayne and Evelyn farmed successfully for many years, until a series of natural disasters finally forced them to sell the farm. The first was the Columbus Day storm in 1962, that destroyed a quarter of their barn. Three floods in 1964 and 1965 destroyed both houses, and drowned many of their cattle. Unable to service the debt they had incurred as they attempted to recover, they decided to sell the farm.
Wayne then worked at various jobs, first selling insurance, then working for the McCormick Pipe Co. making concrete pipe fittings.
Wayne and Evelyn had four children:
| Wayne Kermit Adams, Jr. | Born April 20, 1940, in Tillamook, Oregon. |
| Sylvia Marie Adams | Born March 2, 1946, in Salem, Oregon. |
| Alan Lee Adams | Born July 12, 1943, in Salem, Oregon. |
| Steve Adams | Born in 1949, in Tillamook, Oregon. |
Evelyn had been diagnosed with cancer in 1979. After a long fight, she died in February 1987.
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Leta Mae Brant was born December 7, 1924, in Yoncalla, Oregon, to Earl and Addie Mae (Wilson) Brant. After graduating from high school, Leta Mae attended business college in Eugene and Oregon State College in Corvallis. Leta Mae married Lyle Hutson June 21, 1947. They had a family business working in heavy construction, drilling, blasting and crushing rock for road construction in Central Point, Oregon.
Lyle and Leta Mae had four children:
| Donald Hutson | Donald was living in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho at the time of Leta Mae's death. |
| Donna (Hutson) Howard | Donna was living in Redmond, Washington at the time of Leta Mae's death. |
| Connie (Hutson) Prouty | Connie was living in Homer, Alaska at the time of Leta Mae's death. |
| Lonna (Hutson) Carnahan | Lonna was living in Bend, Oregon at the time of Leta Mae's death. |
Leta Mae and Lyle had a very strong faith and were active in the Christian Church. In 1986 they retired and became missionaries in Kenya, Africa, where Lyle died. Leta Mae returned to Oregon and remarried to Wayne Adams in 1988. Wayne and Leta lived in Hillboro, where Wayne continued working in real estate sales.
Wayne passed away in March 1991, at the age of 76. In A Few Memories, included in a book on family history published by Wayne's mother Ruth, Wayne documents some memorable events of his life. In an addendum, Wayne's son Alan gives more insight into his father's character, a character that saw him through the many difficulties of his life, and which was much admired by his children.
After Wayne’s death, Leta Mae moved to Bend to be closer to her daughter Lonna's family. She loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She liked to knit, crochet, garden, cook and sew projects for family and friends. In Bend, Leta Mae joined the Discovery Church, and enjoyed singing alto in the choir and playing the piano and organ. Leta Mae’s sweet spirit and sense of humor helped her to make many friends. She lived at Suntree Village, Stone Lodge and Fox Hollow.
Leta Mae died July 17, 2013.