WILLIAM DEXTER WADE

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WILLIAM DEXTER WADE William Dexter Wade wrote the final lines of his life on August 5, 2012. Bill was 73. Bill was a loving father and grandfather and leaves behind family and friends who mourn the passing of an original. In his own words, Bill was the nom de guerre of an eccentric alchemist exiled from Montenegro for his radical Rosicrucianism . He also claimed to have been incarcerated at Guantanamo for attempting to board a plane with a staple remover. Bill had an abiding hatred of stickers on fruit. He was born in Cairo, Illinois in 1938. Bill served in the U.S. forces in Europe in the 1950s, long before it became fashionable - or mandatory. Thanks to the GI Bill he discovered education and anthropology and much to his surprise became Dr. Wade when he earned his PhD. Although he eventually visited all seven continents Bill the world traveller came to Canada (he often voiced concerns over American politics during the Sixties) where at the University of Manitoba he shared his love of learning, life and laughter with generations of students, colleagues, family and friends. My grandpa taught me to open my eyes to everything the world has to offer and that no matter where you are there is always something to learn, recalls granddaughter and closest friend Ali. When Bill wasn't deep in books he was deep underwater, spending many hours with friends in the scuba community. This was a love he took to Mexico where he divided time between diving and exploring. After retiring Bill turned his pen to fiction writing, referring to his past academic publishing as arid . He honed his craft at the Writer's Workshop where he found his writer's voice and many friends. In keeping with Bill's irreverence and humanism, and in accordance with his wishes, there will be no funeral but a celebration of Bill on his birthday, September 13, at the Winnipeg Winter Club at 6:30 p.m. Family and friends are invited to share stories and memories and celebrate Bill in that sickening tone of reverent admiration - a man who never failed to bring a smile to everyone he knew.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 11, 2012