Wayde C. Lodor

Wayde C. Lodor, 66, passed away in Pepperell, MA on May 8, 2025, surrounded by his loving family and friends.

Wayde was born July 8, 1958, in Hamilton, N.Y., to Dianne H. Lodor and Durwood F. Lodor II.

He grew up in the quaint town of Eaton, N.Y. where he frequently helped on his grandfather’s dairy farm and discovered his lifelong love of animals.

Wayde earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1980, followed by an M.B.A. from Nichols College in Boston in 1996. Throughout his professional career, Wayde was involved in the development and design of cutting-edge medical devices. He had a brilliant, detail-oriented mind. An innovative person and a problem-solver, Wayde was frequently engaged by companies to figure out why one of their complicated pieces of medical equipment was “misbehaving” and then design a fix. He also expressed his creativity through his hobbies of photography, cooking and antique restoration.

While attending Morrisville-Eaton Central School, Wayde met his high school and college sweetheart, Pamela Nelson. In 2016, the Fickle Finger of Fate reconnected Wayde and Pam after nearly 35 years. The two picked up right where they had left off, as Wayde’s charisma and wicked sense of humor hadn’t changed a bit in the intervening years. Undeniably the love of his life, Pam, a veterinarian, reintroduced Wayde to the “farm life”, and the two purchased a small horse property in Aiken, S.C. where they had relocated to dodge the winter weather both had grown up with. Wayde became an equestrian enthusiast in all ways short of actually riding; cheerfully undertaking a plethora of farm improvements, feeding horse and hound, and preparing gourmet offerings for the post-event tailgates.

Wayde was charming, unwavering in his generosity, and witty. He was deeply dedicated to his family and friends. His kindness, compassion, and infectious laugh will be truly missed. Wayde’s family would like to express their immense gratitude to the family and friends-turned-family who tirelessly and compassionately supported him as he bravely battled cancer throughout the past 8 years. Special thanks to friends Sandra and Jim Solka, Carolyn Todd and Scott Rittgers, and his wonderful oncologists James Weitzman, Andrew Branagan and Matthew Frigault. Their love and encouragement was felt by the two- and four-legged family members alike.

Wayde is survived by his beloved life-partner Pamela Nelson; his daughter Jillian S. Lodor and her husband Deividy Silva, Jillian’s sisters Janelle and Kara Lodor; Pam’s children Sarah Neumann and Peter Buck, Sarah’s husband Phil Neumann; his brother Scott Lodor; his sister Denise and

brother-in-law Mark Morris; his sister-in-law Judy Vogel and brother-in-laws Paul Nelson, Mark Nelson, and Rob Vogel; as well as many beloved cousins, aunts, nieces and nephew.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Pepperell Lions Club, P.O. Box 1353, Pepperell, MA 01463 or Aiken Equine Rescue, 532 Glenwood Drive, Aiken, SC 29803 (www.aikenequinerescue.org).