From Brent Rock (Wayne’s husband):

"We met at the Odyssey (nightclub) in Vancouver. A friend of mine had dragged me out; a friend of Wayne’s dragged him out. He walked across the dance floor, planted the biggest, wettest kiss on me, and said you’re the most handsome man I’ve ever met! We didn’t go home (together) that night, but he invited me out the next night. We went to Cin-Cin in Vancouver, (and afterwards) we were on the balcony of his apartment, having wine, and he asked me to marry him. And I said yes! That was August of ’94, and we were married in April of ’96... We were together for 20 years.

"I was brought up Anglican, and Wayne was brought up United, and (in 1996) he was living in the West End in Vancouver, and I was living in the Fraser Valley. He approached the minister from the Anglican Church (about our marriage), and the minister said I’d love to do it, but I’ve been told from above that I cannot. But St. John’s United, two blocks down, does do same-sex ceremonies. ...Wayne had just gone through lymphoma that previous winter, so this was important to us. We weren’t trying to be trailblazers: it just was important for us to get married. The prognosis right from the beginning was not good: he was given six months. But he was such a positive, brave person that we just approached it that way and we would see what happened.

"Actually, this was his fourth time with cancer. He had two smaller things in-between removed where he had no radiation or chemo. This was his second big go around, and this time there were two types of cancer, so it was very complicated. We were halfway through the first set of chemo, and he had a stroke on Father’s Day.

"Wayne was fearless and brave, and I was somebody that, when I was younger, was a little bit conquered by fear. So he taught me not to be scared... We went to see Barbara Streisand in Los Angeles, shortly after 9/11, and they had the red carpet because, of course, there’s always celebrities. And Wayne said, well, let’s go down the red carpet! and I said no, honey; we can’t. And he said of course we can! So we went down it. Of course we got kicked off, but we walked on the red carpet! And I would never do that on my own.

"I think when running the (Foxwood) B&B (from ’97 to ’07), you have people living in your home, and we certainly had some fights, where we said that’s it! But we had people in our home, so that’s how you work your frustrations out. Every relationship is work, but it’s better if there will be more fun than work.

"I look at the last 20 years, and we had more laughter, and love and fun than most people have in 60 years of marriage."

"The performing individual that I know... that I knew... took great pride in doing what he did. His main goal was to go out and make people laugh, and he did that. The professional/working side of him was work! He was an astute businessman. When he was in the optical business, Wayne was always a professional person. Devon was the fun-loving one. Wayne could see the humour in almost anything. He had a way of making people smile, or laugh. That’s just the way that he was.

"(I have known Devon) pretty close to 30 years. (Performance-wise) he was testing the waters then: it was a lot different than we are today. He always had the professional aspect of it. He wasn’t (just) a drag queen; he was doing this to make people laugh. And he was good at it... He was an actor.

"But professional Wayne was realistic too. Back then, it wasn’t that readily available: this (career) costs a lot of money, and to get the right connections? Most of those connections were in the States or else Toronto. Doing this in Calgary?! (laughs)

"He would have been proud to see this year’s Pride Parade.

"(By the late ’90s) he was a drawing card. He would do long-weekend Sunday shows and he would pack the house. He had created quite a name for himself.

"Nothing stopped him. Even in this (final cancer) he saw a brighter picture. He had great determination. He had a very strong will to live. He fought a huge battle this time around. He fought right to the end, and the positiveness of I’m gonna beat this was always there... I lost my very best friend.

"He was the most loving, caring individual in the world; he would help and give without wanting anything in return; selfless is the right word.

"I have so many Devon stories, and they’re all so good! ...He was performing at Detour one evening, and the house was packed (it was a long weekend), and one of the (drunk) female patrons started to harass him. This was right in mid-scene, but he couldn’t get a bouncer to come over and remove the lady. He kept telling the lady please be quiet and he got very candid with the lady, until finally he’d had enough.

"He put his microphone down, walked down the stairs, picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and walked her to the front door, put her down, and said, and please don’t come back! He walked back onstage and continued on." (laughs)

"One of the tops, definitely: Devon was Mr. Entertainment at all times. He had a quality that’s so hard to describe. But you would just know it when you saw it: he held your attention. He dazzled onstage; he was one of those people whose smile could light up a room, whose gesture could bring down the house – just one of those performers who had it.

"But there were so many other things too. It’s going back 25 years now, that we met for the first time, but we didn’t start working together until he came back from Vancouver in the ’90s... and we did many, many shows together. Lots and lots of fun!

"He loved to entertain people, no matter what the setting was, whether he was in drag or not. He was the consummate entertainer who always had a good story to tell, that would usually end with you rolling on the floor, holding your sides and laughing so hard it felt like you were going to barf! ...You’re wanting him to stop, because it hurt, but you don’t want him to stop because it’s too much fun!

"People gravitated to him. Invariably the people that were standing around him were laughing and chuckling. So if you went to a party, Devon was the light of the party, delighting the folks all around with stories.

"He ran a B&B here in town with his partner Brent: a beautiful, beautiful home. He did all of his own projects, built things. He was a doer. He took charge, had an idea, This is what I’m doing, and did it.

"Brent has his own quiet way. They were a real yin and yang; a perfect fit for each other.

"Devon was one of the best friends you could ask for, and he helped me in so many ways. There was good advice; a shoulder to cry on. He was a salt of the earth kind of friend. A good, good friend. Solid.

"Devon was not afraid of anything or anybody. He was the BOLDEST person you would ever meet in your life. Brass balls on that one! ...If you needed to be told, he was going to tell you. But it was done with style and elegance. But you KNEW you were being told.

"One time we did a duet which worked out really, really well. We had matching outfits made. Devon was gorgeous: absolutely one of the most stunning queens you’ve ever seen. And he’s all slender, beautiful, and painted just exquisitely. I’m pretty, but as you might imagine from the name (Eartha Quake), I was a bigger girl. Much more solid: much more zaftig, to be kind (laughs). And we did Liza Minelli; we did New York, New York.

"Devon did the first part, and danced himself off stage, and then I came out a second later, done up as Liza Minelli as well, with a bucket of KFC chicken, chowing on chicken, and trying to do kicks and such. We called it "Liza: Then & Now". We had a lot of fun with that one.

"To me, he was entertainment personified. But it was also the person that was my friend that was important: he was such a good person. He was so kind to me, took care of me in a lot of ways, and helped me to grow up into the man I am now. Which is important to me, because I think I’m a fairly good person, and he helped mold that.

"(He was) one of those life forces. One of those great people that you remember forever... We are all diamonds – some a little rougher than others – but he was a highly polished diamond."

"Devon started performing a few years before me. As a matter of fact, I used to go see his shows. One of the reasons that I am the performer I am today is because of the influence he created when I used to go up and see these professional female impersonation shows. That was AMAZING to me.

"I started seeing him at the Parkside (Continental) in the Green Room... He was a past Entertainer of the Year, which was a Court title, and there was an Entertainer of the Year show function, and he was a judge for that. Hooker of the Year I think it was.

"When they had the restaurant in Water Valley, I worked with them every weekend for three years. (But originally) Devon and I worked together in Calgary, and then he moved to B.C., and did some stuff out there with work. Then I moved to B.C., and the year after he (and Brent) moved back to Calgary to open the bed and breakfast. Then I moved back to Calgary (after 13 years) because my dad was ill, and they sold the B&B and moved to Water Valley. So for years I thought he was just trying to get away from me!

"In Water Valley they have a log house, but a log house as if Krystal and Alexis (Carrington) had a log house: it’s basically a log mansion. Freaking gorgeous! He’s an amazing decorator, and between him and Brent they styled this thing beautifully. As a matter of fact, the dining hall I call Hogwart’s!

"The restaurant (Aspen Cafe) was on the main drag of Water Valley. Brent made the food, and Wayne was the server, and created a lot of dishes as well. Brent baked, and did desserts and quiches, and it was the most wonderful experience I have had. Especially, knowing what’s happened with Wayne and his health, I’m so glad I got to see him for three years, literally, every week.

"I wasn’t performing out there: I would cook, I would make sandwiches, I would help do dishes, I would wait tables and serve: drag didn’t exist in Water Valley. He would do the odd Halloween Party, but that’s not the only definition of what he was.

"He was so talented in so many ways:... he was a hospitality agent... he was a front-end gourmet host; he entertained people for years, made them laugh and smile in makeup and character... he was a designer; he painted and was a photographer. There was just no end to the creativity that came out of this man.

"Drag did not define him by any means: it was just one of the pieces of the puzzle.

"One time we did a show in the Green Room, and it was a Joan Rivers show, where Devon hosted as Joan, where we all did characters. And I remember, in the dressing room, someone, I think it was Devon, said we should all call each other Cinnamon. There were about seven people in the show, so for about five minutes in the dressing room it became this comedy, a Carol Burnett type of show, with Cinnamon? Yes, Cinnamon? Could you pass me that brush, Cinnamon? Oh, sure, Cinnamon. So, to this very day, if he ran into some of those people, or there was the right moment, we would still visit the Cinnamon. He created this moment and it has lasted forever!"