Admired dentist and father Wayne Francis Truscinski passed away May 11, 2025, at 76 years of age. He was born Aug. 9, 1948, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Frank and Dorothy Truscinski. He is survived by his sister, Kay Blanford, and his two sons, Christian and Peter Truscinski.
Wayne leaves behind a legacy of professional distinction, civil service, long-lasting friendships, and, for those who knew him best, a unique and playful sense of humor.
Wayne served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, first as a combat medic, and then as a surgeon’s assistant, before returning to Augsburg College to finish his bachelor’s degree and eventually attending the University of Minnesota to study dentistry. He then transitioned from active duty to the Indian Health Service, a civilian branch of the Navy, serving patients from the Sioux, Assiniboine, Navajo and Hopi tribes before his selection to a hospital residency program in Anchorage, Alaska. Wayne retired honorably from the IHS in 1991 at the rank of lieutenant colonel to begin his private dental practice after settling in Clark County, Washington.
Wayne, or “Dr. T” as many of his patients referred to him, began practicing dentistry in Battle Ground in 1991. His first clinic was a modest building on East Main Street, but his practice’s success soon enabled him to form a partnership with Dr. Jeff Kockritz and serve more patients at Battle Ground Dental’s larger clinic on West Main. He was trusted by his patients — many of whom became his friends — over the years he practiced, and it was from these relationships that Wayne derived so much of his pride and joy, even after his retirement.
If there are quiet corners in the afterlife, Wayne has undoubtedly already found one in which to smoke a cigar and read one of his cherished archaeology or astronomy magazines. To quote one of Wayne’s favorite songs, written by folk artist Pete Seeger, “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap; a time to kill, a time to heal; a time to laugh, a time to weep.”
