Lt. Col. Wayne A. Babb, USMC (ret), died recently at his home in Alexandria after a courageous fight with terminal illnesses. Wayne was born in Hendersonville, N.C. and was a native of Brevard, N.C. until leaving for college.
Wayne was the son of Mr. And Mrs. Kenneth L. Babb, the grandson of Mr. And Mrs. Witcher M. Melton and Mr. And Mrs. J. Garland Vaughn, all natives of Brevard, N.C. and now deceased. Wayne is survived by daughters Kimberly A. Babb and Patricia L. Babb, and two grandchildren, Thomas Kirtland and Meghan Parkinson. He is also survived by a brother, Gary D. Babb of Brevard, N.C. and a sister, Brenda B. Babb of Waxhaw, N.C. and numerous cousins, nephews and nieces.
Wayne was a four-sport letterman at Brevard High School and later attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. He completed the graduate degrees with highest honors. He is a member of numerous honorary fraternities and organizations relating to academic achievement.
He served over 20 years as a Marine officer, retiring in the mid-1980s as a lieutenant colonel with over 20 personal and unit decorations earned in both combat and peacetime. Among his many personal decorations were the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He was a highly decorated combat veteran of Vietnam.
For the past 25 years, Wayne was a real estate broker in Virginia and abroad. He was directly responsible for over one billion dollars in national and international real estate volume. He earned virtually every designation and award given to high-performing real estate professionals. He taught real estate and counseled real estate throughout the United States and abroad. Wayne was the nephew of R.W. "Buddy" Melton, a prominent broker in Brevard, N.C. and a highly respected teacher and appraiser in North Carolina.
During his career, Wayne was a philanthropist who directed substantial amounts of his own assets to bring students from Russia and eastern Europe to study undergraduate and graduate business and economics in the United States. Many of them returned to their native countries and now have played prominent roles in growing the free enterprise systems in those countries. Wayne was highly respected as a business development advisor to the leadership of the same countries.
Wayne will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., with full military honors. A memorial service will be held at The Old Post Chapel, Fort Myer, Va., directly next to the cemetery, prior to the honors and burial. Arrangements are in the hands of Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home in Alexandria. Wayne asked that tributes or memorials be made to The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, Quantico, Va. He asked that no ornamentals or flowers be sent.