DeWayne Ray Feltner (1959 – 2026) passed away peacefully on April 22, 2026 doing something he loved – hunting.
DeWayne was a devoted husband to Brenda Feltner for 40 years, and their marriage was a lasting example of commitment and partnership. He was a proud father to Ryan Burton and his wife Amber, Erin Barrett and her husband John, and Valerie Schaewe and a precious baby that passed away due to a miscarriage. He was also a loving grandfather to Zion, Allie, Isaiah and Henry Barrett; Arabelle, Lincoln, Charlotte and Lola Burton; Sam and Alex Schaewe. His family brought him great joy, and he treasured every moment spent with them.
He is also survived by his sister, Diana Drew, and his brothers, Russell Feltner and his wife Linda, and Randy Feltner and his wife Karen. DeWayne’s nephews, Jeremy Feltner, Brett (Danielle) Feltner and Jake (Ariel) Feltner will miss their uncle as they were a special part of his life and were his hunting buddies.
He was preceded in death by his father, Charles Ray Feltner, his mother, Alene Feltner and his brother, Roger Feltner.
DeWayne was an employee of MacBeath Hardwood Company in Edinburgh, IN, for over 25 years. “A true giant at our company, as well as the industry,” said President and CEO Jon MacBeath. DeWayne specialized in both purchasing, sales and management at various points of his career. “The contributions he made at MacBeath were countless, and his leadership will be very difficult to replace. It’s a circle the wagons moment for us.”
To his many friends in the hardwood industry, all you had to say was “DeWayne” and everyone knew of whom you were speaking. His loss will be felt by many, because as soon as you met DeWayne, you were his friend.
“We would talk every Friday morning, if not more frequently. It would always start out as business, but after that got frustrating, we turned to hunting and fishing talk,” said Shaun Cook.
“He was so good with newcomers to the business and always gave the new guy a chance. He wanted to see them grow and learn. He and I shared a bond of trying to convince the ‘number guys’ there’s more to the process than that,” said Cook.
DeWayne was in rarefied air among hardwood lumbermen. Those in that circle share a common bond of uncommon commitment. He did a lot for Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association (IHLA) and the industry behind the scenes, but he was the face of IHLA’s two most prominent fundraisers, The Fun Shoot and the fishing tournament.
The shoot raised tens of thousands of dollars for Riley Hospital, and the fishing tournament benefited various charities, always tied to friends in the industry.
A celebration of life service was scheduled for Saturday, May 23, 2026, in the Hoosier Harvest Church in Martinsville, IN. Everyone was invited to come and share memories of DeWayne with the family.
