WILMINGTON — Wayne Grover Estes of Wilmington North Carolina died at Novant Hospital from a stroke on September 3, 2022. He was born on January 1, 1947, in Yarmouth, Maine, the son of Donald Timberlake Estes and Phyliss Drollett Estes.
Wayne spent much of his younger years working on the family farm with his father and siblings. He attended Freeport Schools as a boy and graduated from North Yarmouth Academy. He also attended North Central College in Illinois, where he felt he had philosophical differences with his professors, so he ventured back to experience the real world. He tried his hand working in restaurants, one of them being Fisherman’s Wharf in Boothbay Harbor, where he met his first wife of ten years, Sandra Lowery. They had two children. He also spent time working for another of his family’s businesses, Estes and Sons Builders. They played a large part in developing the idyllic neighborhood of Desert Pines in Freeport.
He met Lori Marks in Freeport in 1977, and they have been married since April 7, 1979. Together they helped found The Omelette Shoppe, with Frank Brockman in Brunswick, Maine in 1981. Later they would move to Bridgton, Maine, where they opened 78 Main St. Restaurant and Café. After tiring of the constant and back-breaking struggle of restaurant proprietorship, Wayne and Lori moved to North Carolina, eventually ending up in the Wilmington area, where Wayne found himself back in the building business. He worked for many years as a construction project manager and then, up until his final days as an insurance inspector.
Wayne was an outdoors enthusiast, enjoying skiing, boating in Casco Bay, camping and long, seemingly endless hikes where the children often wondered if Dad really knew where in the heck he was going. He was famous for his joke-telling sessions by the campfire and possibly for keeping the rest of the forest awake into the early morning hours with the thunderous laughter and applause that would ensue.
Wayne is predeceased by his parents and his older brother Tim Estes of North Yarmouth, as well as his niece, Suzan Estes.
Survivors include his beloved wife of 43 years Lori Marks Estes of Wilmington, NC, son Mark Estes of Wilmington, NC, son Shea Estes and his wife Erika of New Gloucester, ME, and daughter Amanda Estes and her longtime partner Frank Pellerin of Fairfield, ME, his four grandchildren, Cody Estes of Wilmington, NC, Kathleen Kelly Of Raleigh, NC, and Sadie and Bennett Norweg of New Gloucester, ME, his sister Priscilla Estes Emerson of Topsham, ME and brother Kevin Estes of Heartland, ME, his cat, Shadow (AKA Kitty), and many nieces, nephews cousins and dear friends and coworkers as well as grandkitties and puppies.
At the request of Wayne, there will be no funeral or memorial, but we ask that to celebrate his life you have a good laugh and hug your loved ones.
