Gloria Wade

Gloria Elizabeth Wade went to be with our Lord and Savior on Friday, July 26, 2019 at the age of 91.

Gloria was born in St Albans, New York, on November 20, 1927 to Charles and Edith (Weis) Wade as the oldest daughter of six children. Despite growing up during the Great Depression and contracting childhood polio at the age of 4, Gloria tried to maintain a positive attitude throughout her life.

Gloria began working for a telephone company in New York while still in her teens and when the opportunity presented itself, she transferred to Florida. She eventually decided to make Seminole County her home and worked for Winter Park Telephone until she retired in 1991. She spent most of her life in Winter Springs, Florida with only the last few years residing with her niece, Jacqueline Phillips in Marion County.

After she retired in 1991, Gloria spent much of her time enjoying her extended family. She could often be found babysitting any number of her grandnieces and grandnephews as well as “adopted” family members whom she loved dearly.

As the years passed and the children grew Gloria chose to devote her time and energy to her passion for animals which led to involvement with many animal rescue groups. Most days she could be found volunteering at the Seminole County Humane Society and other animal rescues.

In 2001 Gloria created her own organization called The Animal Welfare Alliance of Central Florida to help end pet homelessness and overpopulation in Central Florida. Gloria took her role seriously and could often be found speaking at local government meetings, manning adoption booths at local community events, or making presentations to local school children alongside her sister, Joan Wade Frazier, who shared her vision. In 2014, the organization Gloria started was re-structured and re-named. Today it operates a Snip-It Clinic located in Kissimmee, Florida providing low-cost spay and neuter options in the central Florida area.

After a stroke in 2011 limited her independence, Gloria found new avenues of community service including babysitting at a local Jazzercise, joining a Cut-Ups group at Northland Church in Longwood, Florida where she helped prepare learning materials for the children’s programs. She also crocheted hats for Florida Hospital to give to cancer patients.

Gloria was preceded in death by her father, Charles Henry Wade (1976), her mother, Edith Louise Baur Wade (1978), her brothers, Warren John Christian Wade (1944), Robert George Wade (1992), Clifford Baur Wade (1998), and her sister, Joan Florence Wade Frazier (2019).

She is survived by her sister, Muriel Lillian Wade Phillips of Chiefland, Florida, Kenneth Maxwell, her adopted son and his family as well as numerous nieces, nephews and extended family members.

A graveside service will be held at Highland Memory Gardens, 3329 E. Semoran Blvd, Apopka, Florida on Friday, September 13, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. Gloria asked that in lieu of flowers, a donation be made in her memory to:

Protectors of Companion Animals, Inc. d/b/a SNiP-it of Central Florida (aka: SNiP-it Clinic)