Wayne Gaskins, 69, of Roan Mountain, passed away on Sunday, April 10, 2016, at his residence, following an extended illness.
Wayne was born in Cherry Lake, Fla., to the late Bullock and Lola Giddens Gaskins. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Joseph Eston Gaskins and Charles Russell Gaskins.
Wayne was a United States Army veteran, serving in the Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne in the Vietnam Era from 1969-1970. He was awarded the Bronze Star, the Vietnam Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross. He married his wife, Sierra, on June 24, 1987 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He was by trade a telephone cable splicer. He was a NRA lifetime member and loved to fish and hunt.
Those left to cherish his memory include his loving wife of 28 years, Sierra Brown Gaskins, of the home; his children, Melinda Lee Gaskins and husband Jimmy, of Flint, Mich., Tammy Lynn Cowart and husband Robert, of Lakeland, Fla., and his beloved Goffin’s cockatoo, Marshmallow, of 25 years; one brother, Earl Bullock Gaskins, of Johnson City; and three sisters, Tisha Earlene Gaskins Tooke, Luvenia Gaskins Vaughan and Frandy Gail Gaskins Myers, all of Lakeland, Fla. His beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews also survive.
It was Wayne’s wish to be cremated and no services are scheduled at this time. Online condolences may be shared with the family at our website, www.tetrickfuneralhome.com.
Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton, is serving the Gaskins family. Office: (423) 542-2232. Obituary Line: (423) 543-4917.