Wayne R. Shmitka

Wayne Raymond Shmitka age 73 of Centennial, passed away Saturday December 16, 2017. He was born on August 14th 1944 in Minneapolis Minnesota to Nellie and Raymond Shmitka. Wayne is preceded in death by his Parents and Sister Janet Lepsie. Wayne is survived by Wife: LaVonne Shmitka, Children & Grandchildren: Diane (Doug) Armstrong, Ben (Sherri) Armstrong, Kaylee Armstrong, Robert (Sherri) Walden, Brandon Busch, Cody Walden, Teri Shmitka. Daniel Shmitka (Grandson), Jared (Nicol) Shmitka, Bryan (Lindsey) Shmitka, Macie Grace (Great-granddaughter), Dylan Shmitka, Devyn Shmitka, Cheryl (Ben) Vavra, Kyle Vavra, Katie Vavra. Wayne is also survived by his best friend of 67 years, Joe Oliver. A reviewal will be held Wednesday December 20th from 5-8pm. The funeral will take place on Thursday December 21st at 1pm. Services to be held at Horan & McConaty funeral home (11150 E. Dartmouth Ave. Aurora, CO 80014). Wayne graduated in 1962 from Edina High School in Minnesota, after which he attended Dunwoody College of Technology, where he studied graphic arts and printing. He began his career at 3M as a stripper in the reproduction department. He worked for other printing companies in the Twin Cities. In 1982 he moved to Denver to work for Hirshfeld Press. In September of 2010, he retired after having spent a total of 47 years in commercial printing at various different companies. In his early years, he enjoyed fishing, hunting, and taking car trips with his parents across the United States. As a young child, he would often be found sitting on the fender of his dad’s car watching him work on the engine. Later this translated into a great enthusiasm for cars. His first project car was a 1940 Ford Coupe; he spent many hours working on it with his best friend Joe. Together they installed a Chevy engine in the car. He later sold the Coupe to purchase and repair a different car, and a passion was born that never wavered. His understanding of printing and his passion for cars led to three Golden Quill Awards, presented by the editors of Old Car Weekly. The achievements were recognizing his editorial skills on “The Dagmar”, a newsletter for his car club. In recent years, he was a member of the Rocky Mountain Thunderbird Club, where he loved showing his car and being a part of the mystery cruises. He enjoyed meeting great people who shared his passion for classic cars. Wayne also loved to travel. One highlight is an 11,000 mile car ride into Canada and throughout the East coast. A fun fact: at one time he aspired to be a musician and took banjo lessons. He also was a perfectionistic woodworker. Above all, he was dearly loved and will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Cancer Society in Wayne’s honor. Please give your condolences to the Shmitka family.