Dewayne was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina, to Linda Fender and the late Jock Fender, on November 27, 1964. God called him home on January 8, 2022.

Dewayne was a loving and devoted family man. He was the rock to his family. Dewayne is survived by his wife of 34 years, Kelly Fender; his daughters, Monica Ingram (John) and Madison Roberson (Tyler); his grandchildren, Nathan Ingram, Sydney Ingram, J.D. Ingram, Miley Ingram, Makinley Ingram, Jakeb Ingram, and Maggie Roberson; great-grandson, Zayden Ingram; brothers, Doug Fender (Sandy), Donald Fender (Jennifer), and Darian Fender (Shannon); close friends who were like family, and many brothers and sisters of the Asheville Fire Department.

He was dedicated to his job at the Asheville Fire Department. He served for 28 years, from January 31, 1994, to January 8, 2022. During that time, he held many positions. He advanced to a firefighter intermediate on June 29, 1996, and was promoted to firefighter II on June 31, 1999. He transitioned to fire engineer on February 1, 2002, and then took on the role of fire specialist on October 18, 2010. Dewayne was also involved with the HAZMAT, swift water rescue, and scuba diving teams at the fire department. He was an active member of the local fire department union.

Some of Dewayne’s greatest joys were vacationing, camping, fishing, boating, four-wheeling, and being outdoors spending time with his family. He dedicated his life to his family. He made sure to be at every sports, school, and life event for his daughters and grandchildren when not at the fire department.

His other joy was deer hunting. He was an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He loved hunting with his buddies, his girls, and his grandchildren. Dewayne greatly enjoyed passing along his hunting expertise and made sure hunting would be a tradition that was carried on for generations.

Dewayne was a man who everyone would turn to when they needed help, and he was always there to answer. He was a smart man with many talents. He knew how to do almost everything put in front of him or would work hard until he could.

Dewayne knew where he was going when he left this world, and his faith only grew stronger towards the end of his journey. He leaves to cherish his memory a deeply grieving family and many friends that miss him dearly. Life will never be the same without him.

The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith. -Billy Graham