Obituary of Edward Mros

Wayne was born April 22, 1940 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Edward Carl Mros and Leah Orullian. He had one sister Elaine Carey of Hansville, Washington that preceded him in death. Wayne was 26 years old in 1966 when he was driving home from work on highway 20 outside of Bend, Oregon and was hit by a drunk driver. The driver responsible for the head-on collision, a drunk off-duty police officer, and his passenger would be admitted to the local hospital in satisfactory condition. The driver would eventually receive a citation for passing without sufficient clearance. There were no drunk driving laws or retribution for victims or family in 1966. Wayne, however, was in a coma for several months and suffered major brain damage and severe paralysis. He would be completely dependent and require 24 hour care the rest of his life. At the time of the accident, Wayne had 3 children, Todd (5), Shalese (3 1/2), and Melinda (2). His wife, Barbara Horton was 4 months pregnant with their 4th child, Elizabeth. We, his children, strive today to forgive and make the most of the humbling lessons we have learned from the only father that we have ever known. Though his damaged state was irreversible, and his communication severely limited, we always felt love from him and developed strong compassion and humility through our time with our father. We grieve the loss of the man he was before a careless decision was made, and we celebrate his liberation from the clouded mind and broken body he has lived within for the past 52 years. We, his children, our Aunt Elaine and her children, our cousins Laurie, Kim, Sharon, Colleen, Jim and Lainie have a deep bond and great love for each other due in part to this shared tragedy. We honor our father by continuing to unconditionally love each other.