William Wayne Lichtenberger, age 90, went home to be with his Lord on October 28, 2023 in Mesa, AZ. Wayne was born on September 25, 1933 in Carmi, Illinois to William and Gladys Lichtenberger.
He grew up in Carmi, and was in the band in high school, the start of a lifelong interest in music. He attended the University of Illinois, graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, and then earned his PhD in the same field. In 1955, he married the love of his life Bonnie Arlene Hickerson and they welcomed two sons, Erik (1959) and Karl (1963). In 1963, he moved with his young family to California, working as an assistant Professor of electrical engineering at the University of California-Berkeley. In 1964, he was put in charge of Project Genie, from which modern server technology was developed, and was also involved with some of the earliest development of computer networking, which eventually led to what is now the Internet. He later helped start Berkeley Computer Corporation, and then moved to Hawaii in 1971 as a Professor of Electrical Engineering, where he continued to work in the field of networking. He returned to California in 1979 to work in private industry for Hewlett-Packard, Ungermann Bass and Cisco Corporation. In 1991, he moved to Redmond, WA where he finished his career working for XKL Systems. In the early 2000’s, Wayne moved to Gold Canyon, AZ, first as a winter visitor and later as a full-time resident. He finally retired at age 83, having worked from home for the last several years.
Wayne was active in the Christian church his entire life, serving as an Elder at both Pleasant Hill Christian Church and Kaimuki Christian church. He was an active musician in the church as well and taught many to sing as leader of multiple choirs. In Hawaii, he also started a long career as a percussionist in community bands in Hawaii, California, Washington and lastly Arizona. If you want to see Wayne in a special performance, check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0qWgEvvg8c, this was in March 2023 at age 89!
He was preceded in death by his patents, William Jacob Lichtenberger and Gladys Lucille (Bingman) Lichtenberger, and beloved cats Gail, John, and Agatha. He is survived by his beloved wife Bonnie; sons Erik (Deborah) Lichtenberger and Karl (Michelle) Lichtenberger; grandchildren Ruth Lichtenberger (Eric Niemy), Samantha (Daniel) Cole, Matthew Lichtenberger, Ryan Lichtenberger, and Katherine Lichtenberger; great grandchildren River and Cyrus Niemy; sister Glenda Schultz; and many cousins and nieces and nephews.
Graveside services will be 11 AM Saturday, November 11, 2023 at the Carmi Garden of Memories, Garden Of The Good Shepherd, Carmi, IL with Greg Grant officiating. Calvert Funeral Home, Clinton, IL is in charge of arrangements.
Memorial gifts can be sent to Wayne’s home church, Broadway Christian Church, 7335 E. Broadway Rd., Mesa, AZ 85208, (480) 981-0802. Please include a note “In Memory of Wayne Lichtenberger”.
Online condolences may be made at www.calvertmemorial.com
