James Weldon Wade

James Weldon Wade, 94, of Georgetown passed away on January 6, surrounded by his daughters. He was originally of the small community of Andice, Texas, born on May 7, 1930, the youngest child to Clarence Hosea and Ruby (Baker) Wade. Weldon grew up during the depression and lived his entire life in Williamson County, aside from his years in college and his military service. He graduated from Florence High School in 1947 (where he walked to school every day) and went on to Texas A&M in College Station, where he graduated in 1951. His father believed in education and paid his way; he was the first of his family to graduate college. After his time at A&M, he joined the Air Force, where he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and later promoted to First Lieutenant. He also served in the reserves.

In 1958, Weldon married the love of his life, Christa Rath, just four months after their initial blind date. They bought their home and land in Georgetown that year where he resided until his death. Together, Weldon and Christa had 3 kids; Jack born in 1959, Janice in 1961 and Patricia in 1962. Weldon made a career with the U.S. Postal Service where he worked for over 30 years and retired from in 1985. He started his career as a janitor and retired as the Assistant Postmaster. While his career was with the Post Office, he was also a rancher, and continued doing so well into his 80s. In the last several years, he spent his time getting to know his neighbors and taking frequent walks with them.

Weldon was a life-long Aggie sports fan, having season tickets to the football games for over 35 years. He could frequently be found watching any Aggie sporting event on TV, and was very proud that his son, daughter, and granddaughter followed in his foot steps and attended A&M as well. His granddaughter, Adriana, graduated in 2021, 70 years after he did. On two different occasions, he took a road trip with his daughter and two grandkids to Omaha, Nebraska, for the baseball College World Series to see the Aggies play. Weldon was a Charter member of the Georgetown Evening Lion’s Club, formed in 1970, where he took part in many community service events. He was an active member until that club folded and he joined the Georgetown Lion’s Club. He was a member, in total, for over 50 years. Weldon was also an active member of First United Methodist Church for many years. While not known to regularly read or quote scriptures, he understood the message and lived his faith every day, inspiring his children and those around him.

Weldon loved his family dearly; he is survived by his daughter Janice Babbitt (Bruce) of Georgetown and daughter Patricia Gutierrez (Eddie) of Cedar Park. He is also survived by his four grandchildren: Alyssa Hill (George) of Cedar Park, Kristen Babbitt (Shannon) of Buda, and Adriana and Benjamin Gutierrez of Cedar Park. Weldon is preceded in death by his loving wife of 49 years, Christa, his son Jack Wade, his parents C.H. and Ruby Wade, step-mother Daud Wade, his brother Edwin and wife Helen, and his sister Lillian Smith and husband L.R.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, January 16 from 6-8 p.m. at Ramsey Funeral Home in Georgetown. A funeral service will be held on Friday, January 17 at 10 a.m. at First United Methodist Church in Georgetown, followed by a reception and graveside service. In loving memory of Weldon, donations can be made to The Texas Lions Camp or to The Caring Place in Georgetown; both of which are charities he supported over the years.