Services for former Humboldt Fire Chief Wayne L. Day are set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Shelton-Hunt Funeral Home in Humboldt, with burial to follow in Rose Hill Cemetery.
Day, 73, died Saturday when a boat he and a friend were using to participate in a catfish tournament on Kentucky Lake was run over by a barge. His friend, Jimmy Bratcher of Medina, escaped seconds before impact by jumping from the front of the boat and swimming beneath the barge, Bratcher has said, according to Benton County Sheriff Cecil Wells.
Day attended Humboldt High School, where he earned a spot on the 1949 State Championship basketball team. In 1950, he joined the U.S. Navy's 1st Marine Division as a medical corpsman, and in 1953 he earned the Bronze Star for Valor during combat while saving the lives of two of his fellow troops who lay wounded in a Korean mine field.
Day was Humboldt's fire chief for 10 years, and he also worked as fire chief for the Milan Army Ammunition Plant. He also served in the Tennessee National Guard until his retirement. At the time of his death, he worked as a night manager at the Estes Food Center in Humboldt and as a school crossing guard.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Day; a son, Wayne ''Butch'' Day Jr. of Olathe, Kan.; two sisters, Evangeline Cole Holt of Milan and Janet Worrell of Medina; and two grandchildren.
Visitation is set for 5 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home, 1641 Main St. The Estes Food Center location at the corner of Central Avenue and the U.S. 45 Bypass will hold a candlelight vigil at 10 p.m. today.
A fund has been established in Day's memory, with proceeds going to purchase water rescue equipment for the Humboldt Fire Department. To contribute, send a check to Humboldt City Fire Department, 1116 Main St., Humboldt, TN 38343, attn: Chief Chester Owens.
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