Wade Delos Dorland

Wade Delos Dorland, age 90, died Friday, December 6, 2024 at Carol Woods Retirement Community in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.Wade was born on April 15, 1934 in a residence of his parents, Wade D and Maude Biggs Dorland in Humboldt, Nebraska and baptized in the Humboldt Methodist Church. He graduated from Humboldt High School in 1952 and the University of Nebraska in 1957 with a bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering.Wade was active in Boy Scouts earning the rank of Eagle Scout in 1951. He worked in Yellowstone National Park during the summer of 1952.Wade married Corrine Elaine Demaree on July 11, 1956 and was drafted into the US Army on August 22, 1957. After basic training at Fort Carson, Colorado, he was assigned to the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) on US Army Redstone Arsenal outside of Huntsville, Alabama. This marked the beginning of his career in aerospace. He worked on Redstone and Jupiter missile statistic firings while in ABMA and became an employee of the National Aeronautics and Space Agency, NASA.in 1958. At the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, he continued his career in ground test firings of Juno, Saturn 1, Saturn 1B, and F-1 rocket engines. In 1964, he and Corrine moved to Houston, Texas, where he worked as an environmental test engineer at the NASA Johnson Space Flight Center. Here, he led vibration and acoustics testing of Apollo Spacecraft and crew equipment that the astronauts used during their landings on the moon. Wade also led a team of engineers from both the Johnson and Marshall Centers in environmental testing of the Skylab crew compartment and Apollo Telescope Mount.In 1977, Wade was named manager of the Rail Dynamics Laboratory (RDL), a major test facility of the Transportation Test Center, in the US Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration in Pueblo, Colorado. He managed the activation of the Laboratory and conducted multiple successful equipment tests.Wade was hired as the Manager of the Environmental Analysis Department for Wyle Labs, in Huntsville, Alabama in 1987. He served as manager on several projects including: data evaluations of a structural test program for the improved Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor to requalify it for flight after the Challenger Accident; Design, build, test, and deliver special engineering test equipment for a variety of Wyle customers in the US, India, and China; the US project involved the design, construction, and installation of several advanced test machines for automobile development.He retired from Wyle in 1997 and applied his expertise to a number of part-time jobs at various small business NASA contractors in Huntsville. For one of the jobs, he managed a technology development project that was funded by the US Army. In the course of this project, he made three trips to the Kwajalein Missile Range in the south Pacific, 2300 miles southwest of Hawaii.In 2009, he and Corrine joined Carol Woods Retirement Community in Chapel Hill, North Carolina where they enjoyed an active and pleasurable retirement lifestyle.Along with Corrine, they were founding members of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville, Alabama. Wade was elected president of the fellowship in 1962. He led the group to invest in its first permanent meeting place where civil rights meetings were held. He lived his life promoting the principles of justice, equality, and compassion in human relationships.Wade was an avid reader and curious intellect. He read multiple newspapers, magazines, books, and newsletters daily. He also loved movies and television and was often the first to see a new episode or release. Due to his love of transportation, he always knew the year, make and model of every car on the road, train on the rail and airplane in the sky. He had a deep interest in electronics and computers, often building his own. He spent many years researching his familys genealogy traveling the midwestern states to visit family graveyards.A devoted family man, he spent his evenings and weekends engaged in his daughters activities. He was a president of the PTA, coach of the basketball team and spent endless hours as an official traveling with his daughters to their swim meets. He never missed a ceremony, performance, recital or concert.In addition to his parents, Wade was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Corrine Dorland and by his two sisters Jeanne and Janis.Wade is survived by three daughters, Kristen Dorland (Kennard Wilson) of Santa Fe, New Mexico; Kamron Monroe (Clement) of Pinehurst, North Carolina; and Ariann Dorland (Douglas Wesley) of Missoula, Montana; and granddaughter Arianne Monroe of Pinehurst, North Carolina.A Celebration of Life will be held at Carol Woods on Saturday, March 15, 2025 at 11 am with a reception to follow. Attendees are invited to share remembrances.Memorial Donations may be made to the Carol Woods Charitable Fund (Resident Assistance or Staff Development), 750 Weaver Dairy Road, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514-1441.
Celebration of Life and Legacy
Saturday, March 15, 2025
11:00 AM -
Carol Woods Retirement Community
750 Weaver Dairy Road
NC 27514
US
Funeral HomeCremation Society of the Carolinas
2205 East Millbrook Road
Raleigh NC - 27604
US
(919) 571-3300
(919) 877-0207
(800) 993-5333 To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Wade, please visit our Tree Store.