Gary WADE

WADE, Gary Lee

84, of Springfield, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, September 21, 2021. He was born on March 13, 1937, in Ironton, Ohio, the son of the late

Waldo and Clarabel (Addis) Wade. Gary was preceded in death by his beloved wife Dottie of 63 years in 2019. He graduated from Springfield High School in 1955 and went on to Ohio University graduating with a degree in Business Administration. During his college years he successfully played and led the OU Baseball team in winning a MAC Championship. Gary furthered his education at Xavier University completing his Master studies in Health Care Administration. Throughout his life Gary worked hard to provide for his family and share in his success. He spent over a decade at International Harvester, Administrator at St. John Nursing Home and Oakwood Village. Gary had a passion for increasing the quality of life for seniors and spent the rest of his career building a successful company known as AdCare Health Systems. He was co-founder and first Board Chair of the Ohio Assisted Living Association. Gary was competitive and loved sports, playing on two National Championship softball teams. He was inducted into the Clark County Baseball Hall of Fame. Gary was a man of faith and served Grace Bible Church for many years. He cared about his community and served on several local boards including McKinley Hall and The Gathering of the Miami Valley. Gary is survived by his children: Buck Wade, Lori Shumaker, Wendee (Brian) Smith, Keri (Bruce) Smith and Andy (Courtney) Wade; brother and sister-in-law, Rick and Marcia Wade; eighteen grandchildren; sixteen great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He was also preceded in death by two children, Dianne and Gary "Jay" Wade. A gathering of family and friends will be held on Saturday, September 25th from 11:00 - 1:00 p.m. at Grace Bible Church, 1500 Groop Rd., Springfield. A celebration of his life and faith will follow the visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m. Private burial will be in the Rose Hill Mausoleum. To view his memorial video and leave online condolences visit www.littletonandrue.com.