Raymond J. Wade

Raymond J. Wade

29 May 1875 - 23 January 1970
Bishop: 1940-1948


Bishop Raymond J. Wade

Bishop Raymond J. Wade, 94, died in St. Petersburg, Florida, January 23, following a partial leg amputation several weeks previously. He had returned from the hospital to Sunny Shores Villa where he was a resident.

Born in LaGrange, Indiana, May 29, 1875, the son of Rev. Cyrus U. and Mary Will Wade, he received a B.A. degree from DePauw University and a D.D. and an LL.D. from Taylor. He served pastorates in Indiana, as well as a term as superintendent of the Goshen District there, before his election to the episcopacy in 1928. He served the Stockholm Area in Sweden from 1928 to 1940 when he returned to this country and was assigned to the Michigan Area where he served until his retirement in 1948. In addition to the Scandinavian countries, his territory at one time included France, Spain, the Madeira Islands, Algeria, Tunisia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Old Russia.

Bishop Wade had a long-time association with Bay View and for many years he and Mrs. Wade owned a cottage there. Since his retirement they spent the summers in Bay View and the winters in Florida. He was elected a trustee of the Bay View Association in 1927 and vice-president in 1928, but was able to serve only one year because of his assignment to Europe. However, he was elected a trustee the second time in 1941 and the same year was asked to serve as president of the Bay View Association.

He married Ella L. Yarian Dec. 4, 1901, and three children were born to this union - Elizabeth E., Mary Elouise and Paul Raymond. Mrs. Wade died in 1909. On August 6, 1913, he married Myrtle L. Mudge and they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1963. She preceded him in death last February. Survivors include the son, Paul R. of Elk City, Oklahoma; the daughters, Mrs. Irvin Pettis of Waco, Texas, and Mrs. Ralph Jones of South Bend, Ind.; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Mary Wade and Mrs. Josephine Froyd, both of Muncie, Ind.

Funeral services were held in Christ United Methodist Church, St. Petersburg, January 26. Dr. Paul Hortin, minister at Christ Church, spoke of Bishop Wade's relationship with that church where a Bishop Wade Day was held in 1959 and the Bishop preached a sermon on "Go Forward"; Dr. Lester Kilpatrick read the scripture, gave the prayer and talked of the Bishop and Bay View; Bishop Roy H. Short, Nashville, Tenn. spoke for the Council of Bishops; Bishop Edwin R. Garrison of Kalamazoo represented the North Central College of Bishops; and Bishop Charles W. Brashares of Ann Arbor gave the benediction.

The body was sent to Petoskey to be placed in a vault to wait for spring burial.

- Detroit Annual Conference minutes of 1970, p. 952

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