Obituary of James Richard Wade

James (Jim) Richard Wade, a resident of Tucson, AZ since 2011, formerly of Decatur, IL, passed away peacefully on January 26, 2023. Jim was born March 15, 1943 in Warrensburg, IL. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Lucille Wade and two sisters. He is survived by and his wife Patty, as well as family, neighbors, friends and pets who all knew him as strong, kind, generous with his time, and willing to help anyone in need. He will be dearly missed.

Jim grew up in Decatur, Illinois. In his childhood and early adulthood, he worked at his family’s dog grooming business, where he came to love his four legged friends. Jim was a Hospital Corpsman in the Navy and served at the Great Lakes Naval Hospital from 1961 until 1963, and completed 3 years of naval reserve service. He was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1967. After his military service, Jim worked at Caterpillar for 33 ½ years as a Quality Analyst, and retired in 1997. After retirement, he returned to work as General Manager of a small medical device company that manufactured Q-T Interval Calipers.  

Jim moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1999, and together with his wife Patty they relocated many times over 23 years, including Sahuarita AZ, Indianapolis IN, Flagstaff AZ, Surprise AZ, North Haven CT, Orange CT, Marana AZ, and finally settled back in Tucson, AZ in 2013.

Jim loved watching sports on TV, and his favorite teams were the St. Louis Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys. He also enjoyed woodworking, and refinished many pieces of antique furniture in his spare time.

As Jim requested, his remains will be buried in Decatur, Illinois next to his beloved parents. A private memorial service will be planned for a future date.

ILYBGSMIH… you have earned your rest in the palm of God’s hands.