Where in the World is Wayne Konrardy?

Many Runde Chevrolet customers are familiar with Wayne Konrardy.  Wayne, who resides in Dubuque, sold new Chevrolet vehicles for the Runde Chevy dealership for many years.  And folks who know Wayne know that he’s an avid world traveler. Seeing his smiling face on the Dupaco website recently made us wonder what he and his wife Mary have been up to!  Where in the world is Wayne Konrardy? This month, he’s on the Dupaco website!

Wayne Konrardy in a recent online ad for Dupaco Credit Union

Wayne started at Runde Chevrolet in 1998 and retired in 2012.

As we guessed, Wayne and his wife Mary have been busy globetrotting since Wayne retired from Runde’s in 2012.

Here are just a few of the places he has been since he retired:

• Washington D.C.
• Memphis, TN
• Las Vegas, NV
• Dominican Republic as a graduation gift to his grandson
• Natchez Trace Parkway down to New Orleans
• South Dakota Badlands
• Custer’s Last Stand in Montana
• Brentwood, TN
• Ocala, FL
• Los Cabos, Mexico
• Italy
• Louisville
• Asheville, NC
• Ireland
• Phoenix, AZ
• Mountain Home, ID
• Yellowstone National Park
• Seattle, WA
  

  Wayne and Mary will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in January.

Mary writes down notes about each trip and the people they met there, so they can tell you in detail about their travels. But don’t call them vacations!

Where Wayne proposed to Mary in Idaho

“I don’t call them vacations,” Wayne said, laughing. “I used to get paid for vacations. I call them adventures!”

Of their recent adventures, their trip to Idaho meant a lot for both Wayne and Mary.

“I took my wife back to Idaho and I surprised her there,” Wayne said. “I never proposed to Mary. One of my friends had bought a ring to give to his girl and Mary wasn’t paying attention. He handed me the ring to hold on to and when I opened the box, she thought it was for her. She took the ring and put it on her finger. … I never told her until we were married probably 16 years.”

In May, Wayne surprised her with a proposal and  a renewal of their vows at the same place they were married in 1967, Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.

Wayne and Mary in 1966 looking at a wedding book. They got that one!

“She was so shocked when we renewed our vows,” Wayne said. “I can’t normally keep secrets. This is probably the only secret I’ve kept from her. By the time the priest got done with the renewal, she was crying like a baby.”

The couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in January while they are on a group trip to the Dominican Republic.

Of all his travels, Wayne most enjoyed a trip he and Mary took to Italy.

“It was probably the nicest place I’ve ever been as far as seeing the history and the Colesium and Venice,” Wayne said.

Wayne and Mary in Arizona, Feb 2016

With all his travels and after 34 years in the car business, Wayne knows a LOT of people.

“We go to HyVee once a week, and I call it my social hour,” Wayne said. “Mary says if she is in a hurry, she doesn’t take me. I know everybody, it seems like.”

He said he misses the customers, but not the long hours.

“I still have breakfast with some customers,” he said. “And there’s always HyVee.”

So, what’s next for Wayne and Mary?

“I want to go back down to Texas,” Wayne said. “In 1965, I had basic training in Antonio, Texas and I’ve never been back. The temperature was in the 100s when I was there and I had a choice to go see the Alamo or go see a movie in an air conditioned room without drill sergeants. So I saw ‘Batman,’ I had ice cold pop and popcorn and it was great. So I’d like to go see the Alamo.”