Wade died September 4, 2021, in Snellville, Georgia. He was born in Ohio but lived most of his life in Montana and called it home. Upon graduating from high school in 1957, he continued his education at Northern Montana College and the University of Montana where he received his degree in Forestry.

Wade jumped at Missoula 1959-61, 63-64, and was a survivor of the Higgins Ridge Fire. He attended the gathering of fire of survivors hosted in Missoula in 2019 and referred to it as one of his most memorable times.

He served as a medic in the army 1961-63 and returned to work with the USFS in fire control in Oregon, Idaho, and Butte Montana. Wade was promoted to Regional Fire Coordinator for the 13 southern states and was based in Atlanta, GA, where he retired. After retiring he worked for the Mental Health Services for ten years.

Wade was an avid Montana hunter, fisherman, and snowmobiler.