Wayne Gresham, 69, passed away in Houston on October 28, 2017, after a short battle with cancer. Wayne was born on December 8, 1947, in Louisville, Ky., and grew up in Jeffersonville, Indiana. He was a kind, fun, generous and loving person who positively influenced many lives in Indianapolis and Houston.  His legacy will live on through those people forever.  While he never had his own family, he lived through his immediate family, his siblings and their children which brought him tremendous joy.  He loved coming to visit family and his parties could rival Martha Stewart with his exquisite taste and meticulous attention to detail in entertaining.

He spent his career as an attorney, graduating from Miami University and Indiana University Law School.  After serving a clerkship under Judge Jesse Eschbaugh in the U.S District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, he had a brilliant legal career working for energy companies in Indianapolis and Houston.  Wayne also was a voracious reader and loved discussing and debating a wide-range of subject matter.  After retirement, he worked tirelessly as a volunteer. He supported and was active in the Bering UMC, Legacy Community Health, Houston Black Tie Dinner, Human Rights Campaign, and advocated for gay homeless youth.  At Christ Church Cathedral, he volunteered on the Pastoral Care Council serving as a member of the flower ministry.

He was preceded in death by his maternal and paternal grandparents, his parents, Ed and Alma Gresham of Jeffersonville, Indiana, and his niece, Michelle Adams, of Louisville.  He is survived by his brother, Paul Gresham (Debbie) of Centerville, Ohio, and sister, Laurie Adams (Mark) of Louisville, Ky.  Nieces and nephews surviving are Jeremy Gresham (Heather), Emily (Bill) Wherle, and Jennifer (Stephen) Earley.  He is also survived by three great-nieces, and four great-nephews.

A memorial service will be held at Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Avenue, Houston, TX 77002 on Saturday, November 18, 2017 at half past two o’clock in the afternoon.  A reception after the service will be held nearby, with a Kentucky Derby Theme - Wayne’s favorite party.  Please bring your favorite Derby decorated hat for the reception and be ready to celebrate the joy Wayne loved with his unique flare and panache. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Wayne’s memory to Houston’s first center for homeless gay youth, Tony’s Place, P.O. Box 980935, Houston, TX 77098, or online to www.tonysplace.org/donate/, or to your favorite charity.  A memorial service will be held in Louisville, Kentucky on November 25, 2017 at two o’clock in the afternoon at Christ United Methodist Church, 4614 Brownsboro Rd., Louisville, Kentucky 40207. 

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