The Bread Man

We called him the bread man. Always smiling, Wayne worked for the Wonder Bread Company and delivered hamburger buns to the restaurant every week. Church was not part of our family-life, so Wayne took our family on as a mission field. 

Wayne talked about Jesus while my dad blew cigarette smoke in Wayne’s face and said crude things to him.

Wayne lived a couple of towns away, so instead of inviting our family to his church, he asked a Benton church if they would add Mom and Dad to their visitation list. Some people from the church began visiting our home Wednesday evenings. When I was 6, our family began attending the First Church of God in Benton. I sat on the arm of a wooden church pew for a better view the night Mom and Dad were baptized in water. We were in church every time the doors were open. 

Excited to see the changes in our family, and always looking for a way to bless us, Wayne gifted a Bible to each member of our family with our names inscribed on the front. Mine was the prettiest Bible I had ever seen, white leather, with my name engraved in silver. 

Wayne was an award-winning gospel quartet pianist. Throughout his life he played piano and sang tenor with several quartets, traveling many weekends. One time Wayne invited our family to ride with them on one of their tour buses to a local concert. My young self was very excited.

When my brother and I began taking piano lessons, Wayne gave us our first piano. It was black, Upright, and missing an ivory or two. Sadly, for my brother and I, Wayne’s piano skills did not come with the piano. 

I rarely saw Wayne after Dad and Mom sold the restaurant, until in my 30’s, he played piano for a church we attended. By this time, I realized how important Wayne had been to our family and I thanked him for introducing us to Jesus twenty-five years before.

Not only did Wayne deliver Wonder Bread to our restaurant, but he also delivered the wonder-full living bread of Jesus to our family which continues to affect new generations today.

Wayne moved to Heaven in 2013. One day I’ll see him there. He’ll be smiling and I’ll once again be thanking him.