John "Wayne" Wilcox

June 24, 1945 - August 28, 2025

John “Wayne” Wilcox passed through the veil, and into the arms of Jesus on Thursday, August 28, 2025. Our beautiful, kind, funny, generous, adventurous, husband, father and friend has graduated mortality and returned to his true home. We miss him already, but we lost him years ago to Alzheimer’s. After this long goodbye, now he is whole again and home with his Savior. He is reunited with his parents and so many family members and friends who have left this world. 

He leaves a legacy of service. He faithfully served the Lord on three missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: one as a young man in Uruguay, and two more with his wife in Guatemala and in Argentina. Professionally, he loved being a dentist, serving his patients in Downey California for 40 years! He served the children of the Downey Unified School District, he served in the Downey YMCA, he served in Rotary International, and he served in dental clinics from Baja California through Guatemala. Service brought him joy and friendship throughout his life! 

He also served his family while he and his wife Dee Dee raised their 7 children. His example taught us the value of hard work, self-reliance, and responsibility, but family fun was also a priority. We enjoyed waterskiing, swimming, camping, dirt

bikes, hunting, bike rides and bonfires at the beach.  He loved fishing and did his best to make a fan out of everyone who ever fished with him. He loved music! Playing his guitar and singing with his family or whistling along to the music at the office! He loved sports and instilled a competitive nature into his children. He loved baseball and watching his Dodgers! We always stayed to the end of the game – you never leave a Dodger game early!

He is survived by Dee Dee, his wife of 57 years, his seven children, Liz (Brent), Willie (Andrea), Sallie (Ray), David (Jen), Quentin (Shelly), Michael (Jen), Susanna (Rusty) and his 24 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren and his beautiful sisters, Shirley, Jeanne, Lori, and Valerie.

But we know this is temporary. We know families are Forever. We know that God is good! We know that we will see him

again and we know this because of our testimony of the Savior, Jesus Christ! 

And so, we say goodbye for now. We say we miss you for a time. We say we can’t wait to go fishing with you and hear your voice and see your eyes twinkle when you pull off yet another prank. We say thank you for your goodness, your example, your love. We say, “we love you.”