Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lived and believes in me shall never die? Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26
Arthur Wayne Markland, 69, of Elizabethton, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, September 8, 2017.
A lifelong resident of Carter County, he was a son of the late J.N. and Amanda Jane Grindstaff Markland, his grandparents, Minnie Markland and C.H. and Nancy Grindstaff, all of Elizabethton.
Wayne was a 1968 graduate of Unaka High School and was proud to have dedicated nearly three decades of his life to serving the people of Carter County as a law enforcement officer and lifetime member of the Carter County Rescue Squad. He began his law enforcement career at the Carter County Sheriff’s Department under former Sheriff George Papantoniou. In 1980, he left the Sheriff’s Office to work for the Elizabethton Police Department, where he served for 16 years, before returning to where his career began to accept his new position as Chief Deputy on September 1, 1996. He also served as an Operational Captain with the Sheriff’s Office during his time at the department. He remained with the Sheriff’s Department until his retirement on June 30, 2005. He served as Chairman of the Carter County Civil Service Board. He along with his wife Nancy operated Nancy’s Family Restaurant in Elizabethton.
Wayne was of the Free Will Baptist Faith and a member of Valley Forge Free Will Baptist Church. He enjoyed spending time in the outdoors camping, fishing and hunting. He was a friend and source of encouragement to many and will be remembered for his love of life and family and his willingness to help his fellow man.
Those left to cherish his memory include his wife and best friend, Nancy Howell Markland; three children, Tammy Ward (Danny), Richard Markland (Kristie), and Jenna Markland; two step-daughters, Lynn Bolin (Andy) and Lori Helton (David); grandchildren, Amanda Montgomery (Dean) and Chance Markland; step-grandchildren, Joshua Burrow, Emily Covarrubias, Houston Combs, Amy Bolin and Dalton Bolin; two great-grandchildren, Michael and Dallas Montgomery; four step-great-grandchildren, Eden Bolin, Arya Covarrubias, Andreyan Burrow and Hank Combs; one brother, Harold Dean Markland (Johnnie), and niece, Wendy Sams (Wayne). Several cousins also survive.
Funeral services for Arthur Wayne Markland will be conducted at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 14, at Valley Forge Free Will Baptist Church with the Rev. Randy Johnson and the Rev. Mark Potter officiating. Eulogies will be given by George Hughes and Shane Waters. Music will be by Amanda Montgomery, Robin Montgomery and Jeff Snyder. Honors will be by the Carter County Sheriff’s Office and Elizabethton Police Department. Interment will be at 11 a.m. Friday, September 15, at Happy Valley Memorial Park. Active pallbearers, who are asked to be at the funeral home by 10:15 a.m. Friday, are Harold Markland, Richard Markland, Wesley Snyder, Danny Ward, Andy Bolin, Dean Montgomery, Julius Waters and James Parrish. Honorary pallbearers are Dexter Lunceford, John Henson, George Papantoniou, Roger Deal, Chance Markland, Franky Covarrubias, Bob Campbell, Dalton Bolin, Ralph Patterson, Johnny Holder, Grady Holder, Roger Hamm, John D. Snyder, Jay Kyte, Kenneth Swift, Houston Combs, Freeman Taylor, Gary Hopson, David Shepherd, David Keylon, Joshua Burrow, Albert Nave, Wayne Sams, J.D. Anderson, Bradley Shove, Valley Forge Freewill Baptist Men’s Fellowship and his church family, former and present officers and staff of the Carter County Sheriff’s Office and Elizabethton Police Department, former and present employees and members of the Carter County Rescue Squad, and all of his much-loved patrons and staff at Wayne & Nancy’s Family Restaurant. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made in memory of Wayne to the building fund of Valley Forge Freewill Baptist Church, 1503 Riverview Drive, Elizabethton, TN 37643. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Valley Forge Freewill Baptist Church. Friends may also visit with the family at his residence. Family and friends will assemble at the funeral home at 10:15 a.m. Friday to go to the cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at our website at www.memorialfcelizabethton.com.
Memorial Funeral Chapel is serving the Markland family.