The Rev. Wayne Kenneth Wellmon, 76, of Waxhaw, N.C., died Friday, March 12, 2010, in CMCUnion Hospital, Monroe, N.C.

A native of York County, he was the son of the late Willis Burette and Lillie Mae Weathers Wellmon. He worked with Southern Bell Telephone Company for 18 years until he answered God's call to the ministry. He pastored six churches and along the way received a B.A. degree in English and a Master of Divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. He completed 2 ½ hours of Clinical Pastoral Education.

He was retired from the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of major.

Rev. Wellmon first became chaplain of Union Regional Correctional Center in Monroe, N.C., in the early 1960s. While serving, he started the volunteer program there. He served as chaplain at the Alcohol Rehabilitation Center of the Department of Corrections and also started a volunteer program there. While serving as a missionary in the West Indies, he was a chaplain in Grenada and a chaplain of the U.S. Navy facility in Antigua.

Upon returning to the Monroe area in the early 1990s, he once again served as chaplain at Union Correctional Center. He left this center to serve as a chaplain at Kershaw Correctional Center in Kershaw for several years. He was asked to return to chaplain at Union Correctional Center, where he retired in 2009.

Rev. Wellmon is survived by his wife, Sylvia Polk Wellmon; a son, Wayne Kenneth Wellmon Jr. and wife, Christie Buchanan Wellmon; a granddaughter, Tasha Wellmon of Charlotte, N.C.; and sisters, Faye Parris of Gaffney, Ila Ray and husband, Walter, of Charlotte and Ruby Furr of Denver, N.C.

He was preceded in death by a sister, Lillie Mae Primm, and brothers, Willis Glenn, William Ray and Willis Burette.

A memorial service was held Monday, March 15, at 2 p.m. in Gordon Funeral Chapel, 1904 Lancaster Ave. (Highway 200S), Monroe, NC 28112. The family received friends following the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Word of Life Church, 1005 Mills Rd., Polkton, NC 28135. Online condolences may be made to www.gordonfuneralservice. com.