Burton Wayne Crist passed peacefully from this life on February 18, 2014 at Gove County Medical Center Long-Term Care in Quinter, Kansas. He was born September 14, 1921 in Quinter, Kansas to D. Floyd and Nellie Crist. He was the first of three children who grew up on the vast plains of the American Midwest. His independent spirit was forged from the hard labor required of living on a family farm. As the oldest son, he accepted much responsibility for the daily farming operations. His father and grandfather taught him many skills which served him well his entire life. It was, however, his insatiable thirst for knowledge beyond his own experience that eventually led him from the home of his parents. He graduated from Quinter High School in 1939, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from McPherson College in 1943. He then attended Bethany Theological Seminary and acquired a Master of Divinity Degree in 1946. He was the first generation of Brethren elders to be called into the formal career of pastoral ministry and was ordained on March 14, 1942.

Wayne found his life-long partner when he married Dorothy Elizabeth Jones on December 25th, 1951. For the next 35 years, he and Dorothy ministered to Brethren congregations in Polo, Illinois, Wenatchee, Washington, Los Angeles, California, Pomona, California, and McPherson, Kansas. One of his proudest achievements during his time at the Imperial Heights Church of the Brethren in Los Angeles, was to bring a junior college into the local community following destructive rioting in Watts in 1965. During his time in the McPherson Church of the Brethren, he obtained his Doctor of Ministry degree through the San Francisco Theological Seminary. His dissertation was highly acclaimed by the faculty with whom he studied. After retirement, he and Dorothy then continued their service in the United Methodist Churches of Downs and Portis, Kansas for another seven years. In 1993 Wayne was honored to be awarded a Citation of Merit as a distinguished alumnus of McPherson College. This most prestigious award is given to alumni with accomplishments and leadership in professional achievement, civic service, church service, and service to the college community.

Wayne loved books. His interests were broad and included history, art, literature, philosophy, poetry, science, psychology, and the beliefs of all religious faiths. He possessed the remarkable ability to tie together many different writings in order to provide illustrations for his sermons. His writings for religious publications, such as the Gospel Messenger and the Christian Century, were well received. He always combined his love of travel with his love of history. But no matter where he traveled in the world, the prairie lands of Kansas always called him back home. He possessed many gifts: the skill of his hands with tools, his knowledge of mechanics, his love of history, his lifelong pursuit of knowledge, his belief in the promise of education, and his conviction that the strength of family relationships rooted in the faith of his forefathers provided an inner power which served as a guide through the turmoil of life. These are gifts that a multitude of people in the world would dearly love to possess, but not even the richest of persons can buy. They are gifts that have been given to his children and grandchildren as well as to the many lives he touched during his time here on earth.

Wayne is survived by his sister and brother, Eulalia Sanger and D.A. Crist of Quinter, Kansas, his children Danese Stahl of Grand Forks, North Dakota, Robert Crist of Mariposa, California, David Crist of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Thomas Crist of Oxford, Ohio, nine grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, February 25, 2014 at the Quinter Church of the Brethren. Burial will take place before memorial services at 9:00 a.m. at the Baker Township Cemetery, Quinter. There will be no visitation.

Memorial contributions to any of the following organizations may be sent in care of Schmitt Funeral Home, 901 S. Main, Quinter, KS 67752: Polo Church of the Brethren in Polo, Illinois, Wenatchee Brethren-Baptist Church in Wenatchee, Washington, Imperial Heights Church in Los Angeles, California, Pomona Fellowship Church in Pomona, California, Quinter Church of the Brethren in Quinter, Kansas.