Wayland Thomas Hutcheson

Wayland Thomas Hutcheson was born on August 10, 1938, in Austin, Texas, and passed away at his home in Leon County, Texas, on April 1, 2024.

Wayland was the only child of Homer Brancher and Dorothy (Francis) Hutcheson. After his parents divorced, Wayland eventually lived in Austin with his father, but often visited his mother and her family in Waco and Houston. While in high school, he worked for Mr. Arthur Smith, loading and delivering produce and for the Burnet Road drive-in movie theater. Wayland always said working at the drive-in was his favorite job, and he would have paid them to work there. For the remainder of his life, he loved to watch movies; the older, the better. He also cultivated his love of cattle, participating in Future Farmers of America in high school. He graduated from Austin's McCallum High School in 1958, and moved to Houston the day after receiving his diploma.

Within a week of arriving in Houston, he went to work for Humble Oil. While the job was considered a safe bet, he grew tired of being a cog in the machine after a few years. He decided to take a chance and went to work for Couch Mortgage Company, where he worked for 23+ years, eventually becoming a Vice President, and where he made lifelong friendships. Wayland dedicated his life to the real estate industry, serving as a Real Estate Broker, Appraiser, and Machinery and Equipment Appraiser. For the last thirty-five years, Wayland and his wife Barbara owned Realty Support, Inc. While he intentionally cut back on the work when they discovered their love of cruising, he never wholly retired, finishing an appraisal the day he passed. He was proud to have earned a Senior Designation from the American Society of Appraisers. Since 1972, Wayland had owned acreage in Leon County, where he raised cows and many other types of animals. In 2020, Wayland and Barbara moved to the home full-time.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Wayland was a devoted volunteer at the Houston Livestock and Rodeo for over forty years and held a Lifetime Committeeman title. In his free time, he found joy in raising cattle, scavenging treasures at garage and estate sales, cheering on Kasha and later his great-grand twins in sporting events, and, more recently, embarking on cruises. Within the last few years, they traveled to South America, the South Pacific, and Australia and looked forward to more. Wayland also had a comprehensive knowledge of cars built from the 40's-60's. He was fortunate enough to own a few classic convertibles, and he enjoyed taking Kasha to school each morning and cruising around his Houston neighborhood searching for garage sales.

Wayland married his beloved Barbara Birdsong thirty-eight years ago, and they formed a bond that endured the test of time. He cherished his family deeply and thoroughly, leaving behind a legacy of love and devotion. He often said not every married couple could or should work together, but he knew they were the exception because the whole was greater than the sum of the parts.

In 2011, Wayland was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, which is an autoimmune disease that leads to varying degrees of skeletal muscle weakness. Like all other challenges, he took it head-on; he maintained a strict exercise regimen and followed his doctors' advice. He was always an avid reader, but finding himself doing a lot of waiting around for doctors, he became voracious. He would read any genre: biographies, westerns, history, war, fiction, or non-fiction; nothing was off limits. After years of trial and error, he had fought the disease into remission.

Wayland was preceded in death by both of his parents and his beloved stepmother, Helen. He is survived by his loving wife, Barbara Hutcheson; son, James Hutcheson; daughter Lauri Boen; granddaughter Kasha Nicole Boen; great-grandchildren, Mila and Isaiah Bryant; step-brothers, James Davis (Sandra) and Charles Patrick Davis (Henry Urick); step-sister, Betty Lynn McMillan; sister-in-law, Rhea Heskett; brother-in-law, Grady Birdsong (Pam), as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family.

A memorial celebration of Wayland's life will occur at the Hilltop Lakes Chapel on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at 1 P.M. The service will honor his memory and impact on everyone who knew him. A reception with desserts and drinks will be held on-site. Instead of flowers, the family asks you to donate to the following: Tunnels to Towers Foundation( t2t.org); Shriners Children's Texas (shrinerschildrens.org); St. Jude (stjude.org), the Hilltop Lakes EMS (hilltoplakes.com), or a charity of choice.

At the request of the Hutcheson Family, please make a written record of a memory or memories you have of Wayland that we can bind together into a collection to pass down. He had such a wide variety of friends and family that we would like to treasure those experiences and not let them be lost to time. If you can attend the memorial, bring the memory with you. If you're unable to attend, please email it to wthutch@aol.com

Wayland will be dearly missed by his family, friends, and all those whose lives he touched with his kindness and generosity. Rest peacefully, Wayland, knowing you will forever remain in all our hearts.

Arrangements are under the direction of Walters Funeral Home, Centerville, Texas.