Wayne Radous Sr.

Wayne Allen Radous Sr. ("Big Wayne"), 81, of Indianapolis, Indiana passed away peacefully on Friday, April 14, 2023, surrounded by his family. Wayne was born December 10, 1941 in Chicago, Illinois to Rudolph and Mae Radous.

Wayne was preceded in death by his parents and survived by his son, Wayne Allen Radous Jr. (Christine) of Carmel, Indiana; four grandchildren, Michael Aichele (Andrea), Audrey Sheek (Kevin), Abbigail Horned (Jobe), and Autumn Radous, and his seven great grandchildren (Isla, Greyson, Bennett, Sawyer, Levi, Genevieve, and Ellenora).

Wayne was a graduate of Riverside-Brookfield High School in Illinois. He was a  Vietnam War Era Veteran; serving from  1963-1967 in the United States Marine Corps.  While serving as a Marine, Wayne married Diona Dean Greene (deceased) in Hawthorne, Nevada; whom he had his son, Wayne with.

After being honorably discharged from the military Wayne moved his family to Berwyn, Illinois. He worked earnestly as a Union Machinist at Reynolds’s Aluminum Corporation in McCook, Illinois until he retired in 1994. As a Machinist, Wayne crafted parts for the Space Shuttle and Aerospace Program. Some of the parts he machined are still in use today.

Wayne had many hobbies, passions, and loves through the years: racing cars, golf, fishing, hunting, corvettes, stamp collecting, antique clocks, and R/C boating to name a few. His love for R/C boating led him to build some of the fastest model boats for their time, and were showcased in national publications.

While Wayne may have moved to Indiana in his later years, he made sure to take his Chicago roots with him; always cheering on the White Sox and Da Bears, and indulging in Chicago style pizza.  He was a phenomenal dancer, so phenomenal he could rival John Travolta back in the day. One of Wayne’s greatest loves was authentic, Bohemian food; often cooked by his daughter-in-law.

Wayne spent the better part of his last couple of decades fighting, with great strength, against three types of cancer.  Even though he did slow down the last year or so he didn't let his health battles stop him from being a loving father and grandfather. 

Visitation will be held April 20th, 10am-12pm with the funeral following at 12pm at Indiana Funeral Care located at 8151 Allisonville Road Indianapolis, IN 46250.

In leiu of flowers, please consider donating to the American Cancer Society in honor of Wayne.