Wayne H. Gey went home to the Lord to reunite with his sons, Derron and BJ, on August 30, 2023, after courageously fighting cancer for over 15 years. It's difficult to write a fitting tribute to this incredible husband, father, grandfather, friend, leader, and mentor who has touched so many lives. Wayne was born October 4, 1943, in Athens, Alabama, to the late Fritz and Alma Gey. He moved to Florida in 1961. In 1963, he married Brenda Gowen and they had four children during their 37 year marriage: Clark, Derron, Meladie, and Brian "B.J." He married Annie Sutton Ragar in 2018. He adored Annie; a "fiercely independent firecracker" as he called her, and they loved sharing adventures and laughter together. Their love was immense and even in sickness, they enjoyed every moment together. She was such a blessing and brought him much joy and he told her that often.

At his core, Wayne was a family man but family to him reached far and wide. If he loved you, he did so deeply, with his whole heart, and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for you. A hard-working cotton picker from Alabama, Wayne showed what a lot of heart, hard work, and courage can do. He established Wayne Automatic Fire Sprinklers in 1978 and grew the family business to over 700 team members in Florida and North Carolina. His genuine love for people and helping them achieve their dreams is what set Wayne Automatic up for greatness. He believed that if you hired people who cared, you could teach them the fire sprinkler business. One day, he'd be in a board room strategizing with other business leaders, and the next day, "hanging pipe" if needed. He lived his motto, "if you take care of the customer, everything else will take of itself." He was so proud of his son, Clark, for following in his footsteps, leading, and growing Wayne Automatic well beyond his wildest dreams. Some of their best strategy sessions occurred in the Georgia woods in a side by side together.

He was a trailblazer in the fire protection industry, never satisfied with the status quo. He was the Board Chairman of the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) from 2007-2009 and the 2009 recipient of the Golden Sprinkler Award, the industry's highest award. He was also a founding member of Common Voices, an advocate group that shared stories of tragedy in the hopes of preventing other families from suffering the disastrous impact of fire. His mission was to save lives. Wayne was soft spoken and humble but when he spoke, boy, did everyone listen. He challenged you and not only made you want to get better, but he also helped you do so. He had a formidable handshake and an impish smile. He had the uncanny ability to make you feel like the only person in the room and truly cared about you and your family. Wayne spent his whole life helping others and his generosity came straight from the heart. This generosity reflected who he was. His guiding principle in everything he did was creating opportunities for others. Developing people and helping them make their dreams come true gave him deep satisfaction. He was both a teacher and a lifelong learner. He was happiest on his ranch in Montverde, on a tractor or spending time with his family, friends, cows, and dogs. He was a member of the Central Florida Hunting Retriever Club (CFHRC), HRC and AKC dog groups, winning the Grand Hunt Championship with his dog, Cooper in 2008.

He fought to the very end, showing unparalleled strength that only a warrior could. He died as he lived, showing everyone the deep love, he felt for them. He left nothing unsaid. As Annie said, "Life will never be the same, but we are all better people because Wayne was in our lives." We always think of legacy as something that only happens when you're gone but if anyone was already living their legacy, it was Wayne. He made it his purpose to help people his whole life, never wanting acknowledgment. He always said how blessed he was and made a point to share those blessings with others. His heart was pure and good, and he will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Besides his loving wife, Annie, Wayne is survived by his son, Clark and wife Lisa; his daughter, Meladie Gey Burke and husband, Andy; his adored grandchildren: Justin, Valerie and husband Brandon, Allison and Natalie; his cherished great-grandchildren: Peyton, Callie and Caden; his sister, Barbara Gey Burns; his step-sons: Casey Ragar and Cody Ragar and wife Nicole; his step-grandchildren: Levi, Haleigh, Grayson, and Cohen Ragar, Michael, Tony, Jacob, and John Castro, Taylor Harper, Haleigh Mills, her husband Chas, and their children: Mason, Max, and Theodora, Katelyn Brenstuhl, her husband Nate, and their children: Everly and Silas, along with many nieces and nephews. The family would like to extend special thanks to long-time friend and Wayne's Executive Assistant, Jackie Hart. In addition to his parents and sons, Derron and Brian "B.J.", Wayne was predeceased by his brother, Lerman Gey, and sister, Margaret Gey Bullington.

A service to celebrate Wayne's life will be held at his beloved ranch located at 15211 Vinola Place, Montverde, FL 34756, on Friday, September 8, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you donate to Common Voices in Wayne's memory, where you can view a video that Wayne narrated with the advocates - www.fireadvocates.org.  Memorial donations in Wayne's name may also be made to the Central Florida Hunting Retriever Club. The money collected will be used to fund the Wayne Gey Memorial Scholarship, awarding college students $2,000 scholarships. https://cfhrc.net.

Wayne always spoke about there being 86,400 seconds in a day and to spend them wisely, so we will do just that. The family feels immeasurable grief but also immense gratitude to all who have reached out. What a blessing it's been to love and learn from this incredible man. Wayne will always be our hero. We will miss him terribly but will use the lessons he taught us to make him proud.