Michael John Wade

1934 - 2022

WADE, Michael John, 87, passed away peacefully at his Nokesville home on Monday, April 11, 2022, surrounded by family. He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 46 years, Katherine "Kitty" Wade; his parents, Eunice and Dudley Wade; his uncles, Reverend Kenneth Wade and Reginald Wade; and many dear friends from England, Ashland and northern Virginia. He leaves behind his children and their spouses, Jon and Ann Wade of Ruther Glen, Tracy and Mac Sorfi of Manassas, Laurie and Curt Henderson of Summerville, South Carolina, Lydia and Jim Camp of Manassas and Amie Wonch of Spokane, Washington; and his grandchildren, Corey Burton and his wife, Dr. Mary Katherine Taylor of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Olivia and Katherine Misero of Manassas, Christopher Theis of Epworth, Iowa and James Reesman of Summerville, South Carolina. After living through the London bombings of WWII and his father serving in the Royal Navy, the family moved to America to begin a new life in 1946. Dad graduated from Henry Clay High School in 1950, earned his B.A. in English at Randolph-Macon College in 1954 (Phi Delta Theta) and joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served four years of active duty in Quantico and Norfolk. Opting for a full-time career in education, Michael transitioned into the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and was accepted to the University of Virginia to pursue his master's in Education degree in 1958. Dad would go on to work for the Virginia Department of Education as a supervisor of English and afterwards, to teach English at Fairfax High School and Annandale High School. Michael later worked as an assistant principal at both Fairfax High School and Lake Braddock High School. Michael finished his 27-year career with Fairfax County Public Schools, teaching language arts at Frost Middle School in 1990. Michael and Kitty both took their school systems' early retirement option, which enabled them to spend the following 15 years traveling the world for months at a time. When they were at home in Nokesville, Kitty and Michael spent time with their grandkids, gardened, attended St. Stephens Episcopal Church, doted on their pets, read and enjoyed family time. They both are missed beyond measure.