LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - Allen and Gwen Wayne were married for 32 years. It was a marriage that Gwen Wayne says was wonderful.
“I didn't just love him,” said Wayne. “We were still in love when God called him home."
She said he was a loving husband and father who truly cared for everyone. He had 5 children and 3 grandchildren and they were his world.
While his priorities were centered on serving his family and the church, service was also his career. He served around 30 years with Little Rock Fire Department before a second battle with cancer took his life.
He is missed by many, including all the men and women who served beside him with the fire department. Gregory Summers, a fire chief with the LRFD, said he can’t imagine anyone ever having a bad word to say about Allen Wayne.
His commitment to service and genuine love for people is the reason the LRFD wanted to create an award in his honor. With the new “Humanitarian Award,” everyone will remember Allen’s faithful kindness and love.
“When you talk about the 'Humanitarian Award,' you talk about an individual that goes above and beyond and looks out for other people,” said Summers. “It’s meant for individuals trying to help other people and that's what Allen Wayne did when he was with the Fire Department.”
It’s an award his wife had the honor of presenting Thursday evening at the Little Rock Fire Department Awards Ceremony. She said she is elated and humbled the award will continue to honor her husband’s legacy.
“He was such a humble person and if you told him anyone would honor him or give him any type of accolade he would say, 'who me,'" she said.
Her hope is that that the future recipients of the award exemplify the same character, integrity, and love of community just like Allen.