Leonard Wayne Belyeu was born in Bartlett on Oct. 30, 1946, to Leonard Dewey Belyeu and Ida Jean Joiner Belyeu. He went to school in and around the Temple/ Bartlett area.
He graduated from Barlett High School in 1965. He was active in baseball, football and track throughout his high school years, and found a love for sports, the work ethic involved, the discipline, the teamwork and the leadership. Although he had ambitions to play at a higher level, he was drafted after graduation.
During his basic training in the Army, he showed an aptitude to be a leader. He was chosen to train for Hawk missiles at Fort Bliss in El Paso. He was deployed to Germany and had an opportunity to pursue his love of baseball with intramural games between units. After his two-year commitment for the draft, he was assigned to the Army Reserve and later the Texas Army National Guard. He remained with the TANG for military service spanning 28 years.
During this time, he again excelled in leadership, discipline and a work ethic that exceeded the usual “weekend warrior” standard. He spent 10 years at the NCO Academy at Camp Mabry in Austin, working with a team to train troops in leadership, critical thinking and basic skills necessary in the chain of command to be successful.
He achieved the rank of master sergeant and was offered a sergeant major position, which he would not accept without first having served as a first sergeant. When it appeared he would be promoted anyway, he resigned from the TANG and joined the Army Reserve. He was offered the position of first sergeant at Headquarters Battery in New Braunfels with the 4th Battalion Field Artillery and retired when the demands of physical training became too difficult to achieve.
His love for sports was fulfilled with playing baseball, softball and volleyball recreationally in and around the Austin area. Coaching was a love he was able to share after he retired from the Guard and began working for Lometa ISD as a maintenance man and bus driver.
He soon became an assistant coach in all sports at the school and a special education aide. He had a gift for working with children who were struggling and helped them to achieve success.
Wayne also helped build a Little League program locally. He especially loved coaching T-ball. He and Resource Officer Darwin Odom started a Junior Ranger program at the Lometa School. This gave all the students an opportunity to be involved in a program with discipline, teamwork and a focus on Army values. They presented the colors at football games and Veterans Day programs.
Wayne and his wife, Kathy, became foster parents during this period as well. He loved these children like they were his own. He had a gift for being able to calm down a chaotic situation and let healing take place and trust be built. They adopted two of their foster children, Eric and Allen, and brought them into the family.
Music was also a love and gift Wayne shared, as he played his guitar and sang for holidays at nursing homes, the Senior Center and at church. He was a member of Good Shepherd Catholic Church, sang in the choir, served on various ministries and was a religious education teacher for children. His proudest day was when he became a Catholic and was able to receive the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.
Anywhere there was a volunteer needed, he was quick to step up. Wayne was on the board for the Housing Authority, involved with the Senior Center and a member of American Legion Post 116 where he was the treasurer.
Wayne died April 10, 2026. He was preceded in death by his younger brothers Bobby and Ricky; his younger sister, Brenda Green of Georgetown; his son, Allen; and his grandson, Charles “Gabriel” Waling.
On April 20, rosary will be recited at Sneed-Carnley Funeral Chapel in Lampasas at 6 p.m., with visitation to follow until 8 p.m.
On April 21, Funeral Mass will be held at 1 p.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church in Lampasas. Burial will follow at the family cemetery, Gabriel’s Rainbow, at the ranch. There will be a meal afterward at Sammy’s Cafe.
Memorials may be made to Good Shepherd Catholic Church, where was Wayne was a faithful member.
