LTC Thomas George Wade, USA, Retired

LTC Thomas George Wade, USA, Retired, 77, of Burke, Virginia died on May 3, 2021 in Arlington after a short illness. A small memorial service for family and close friends will be held at the Arlington Community Church in Arlington, VA, May 11 2021. Burial will follow at Arlington National Cemetery later this summer or fall.

Tom was born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 10, 1943, to George and Dorothy Wade. He was married to Nancy Ayers Wade for more than 50 years. He served as a decorated officer of the US Army for 23 years and was a proud member of the 101^st Airborne Division. During his time in the Army, he served two tours in Vietnam and was awarded a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and a Purple Heart.

After retiring from the military, Tom moved his family to New Hampshire to manage Eastman Community Association, a second-home community in Grantham, NH. There, he spent 17 years skiing, hiking, and genuinely loving life in the Granite State. After moving to Virginia to be closer to his children and grandchildren, Tom managed Burke Centre for a few years, then worked for several years managing properties around Fairfax County until his retirement 7 years ago. Tom has acted as Commander of VFW Post 5412 in Burke, VA, for the past six years and especially enjoyed organizing Burke Centre’s annual Memorial Day ceremony.

In retirement, Tom enjoyed reading, tinkering, antiquing, and barbequing. Most of all, though, he enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents and his brother Adam Wade. He is survived by his beloved wife, Nancy Ayers Wade, and children Loretta Macey, Jacqueline Cooney, Virginia Barry, and Thomas, Jr.; and grandchildren Kyle, Reed, Brian, Joseph, Catherine, Elizabeth, Megan, Helena, Thomas III, and Colin.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages friends and family to make donations to the following causes:

·         The National Multiple Sclerosis Society: https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Donate

·         The American Cancer Society: https://donate3.cancer.org/

·         The Veterans of Foreign Wars: Foundation – VFW