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Naomi A. Wade peacefully
passed Monday, January 3, 2011 due to secondary complications
arising from the treatment of recent kidney failure while in
residence at Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte,
Nebraska. A traditional funeral will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday,
January 7th, 2011, at First Congregational United Church of Christ
in Ogallala with Rev. Phil Ewert officiating and the burial
following afterward in the Ogallala Cemetery. Her viewing will be
held from 9:00 a.m. til 6:00 p.m., Thursday, January 6th, 2011, at
Gubser Funeral Chapel in Ogallala.
Naomi is preceded in death by her husband, Lynn R. Wade; son, Barry
L. Wade, granddaughters Linnea Dawn Wade and Lynaya Brown; her
brothers Charles and Bill Groves; and her sister, Elaine Rossland.
She is survived by her daughters, and many grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.
Naomi was born in 1921 in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. Her parents
were William A. Groves and Olga Eng. Her father was Canadian and her
mother was an American of Swedish descent from the Minneapolis/St.
Paul, Minnesota, area. The Groves family relocated to Hudson,
Wisconsin, to be with extended family when Naomi was two years old.
Naomi's mother passed away when she was eight. Her father later
remarried. Her father's career as a professional chef then took him
to Great Falls, Montana, and the following year Naomi and her
brothers joined him and his second wife. A year later the family
moved north of Ogallala, again in support of her father's career;
this time catering for the various work crews building Kingsley Dam.
It was decided that the best course of action to continue and
advance Naomi's education was to place her in boarding with Nellie
and Jack Kroh who resided in Ogallala. When the work of building the
Kingsley Dam was completed, the next move for her parents and
younger brothers and sisters was to Missouri. By this time Naomi was
in high school, so the decision was made for her to stay and
graduate. After graduating Naomi continued to stay with Mr. and Mrs.
Kroh, the friendship and mentorship that had developed would turn
out to be lifelong, and she began her first job working as the
Assistant to the Superintendent of Ogallala Schools. Within a year,
on a blind double date, she and Lynn Wade met--but they were not
paired. After the evening had ended Naomi's date told Lynn he
thought she (and Lynn) would make a great match. Naomi and Lynn were
married on November 28th, 1941, in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the
company of Naomi's extended family.
After marriage, Naomi continued her work as an administrator. This
work, always in support of her husband and family, became a lifelong
career in which she held a variety of interesting positions. While
her husband was serving in the U.S. Air force, Naomi was able to be
close to where he was stationed by working for the U.S./Canadian
Border Crossing in Great Falls, Montana. The couple decided to
return to Ogallala after her husband's service was completed and she
then worked as a secretary for an insurance agency, and later as an
administrator on the Draft Board of the Civil Service Office during
the Viet Nam War. Additionally during the post-WWII era she and her
husband purchased and operated a local gas station. In 1949 Naomi
and Lynn started Wade Bus Lines, which proudly served the regional
community for 50 years. She, also, was an active and dedicated
member of many national and local clubs and organizations such as
the American Legion Auxilliary (60 year member), the Elks Club
(Doe), the Girl Scouts of America (Council Member and Troop Leader),
and numerous Bridge and Extension Clubs.
Interwoven with all of her work and volunteer commitments, and
closest to her heart, was caring for her husband and children, and
extended family--including Mr. and Mrs. Kroh. The First
Congregational United Church of Christ in Ogallala was her home of
worship and spiritual communion. Naomi will be missed for her warm
and caring friendship, her loving and cheerful personality, and her
personal strength and the continual inspiration she ignited in all
who knew her.
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