Wade Wickline
Age - 93
November 29, 2023
Wade Oren Wickline died November 12, 2023, at a hospital in Plano, Texas. He was 93. He was born July 21, 1930, in East Beckley, West Virginia, to Anna Mae and Walden E. Wickline. He grew up in Monroe County, West Virginia, and graduated from Union High School in 1947. A year later, he moved to Chicago, where he studied electronics at Coyne Electrical School (later Coyne College). After completing his schooling, he worked for Hallicrafters, a Chicago-based radio and television manufacturer. On August 31, 1952, he married Glenna Murphy, a student at Northern Illinois Teachers College. They were married for more than 70 years. He left Hallicrafters, to accept a higher-paying job with Liddell Engineering. But Hallicrafters was a government contractor, while Liddell was not. Hence, the U. S. Army drafted him and he began active duty service in January 1953. He was honorably discharged, with the rank of corporal, in January 1955 and was a member of the Army reserves until February 1961. During his active duty years, he was a radio repairman at the former Fort Bragg, North Carolina. After leaving Army active duty, he returned to Illinois and worked for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad. In 1957, he moved his family from Illinois to Candor, New York, where he began working for IBM Corp. 's Federal Systems Division in Owego, New York. His IBM career spanned 30 years. His work involved testing the ability of computers to withstand pressure changes during space flight. He worked on equipment used for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecrafts. He retired from IBM in 1987. After retiring, he re-invented himself and pursued a lifelong passion--making violins. He studied the techniques of Antonio Stradivarius and other masters and taught himself to make violins. Over the next 25 years, he made more than 40 beautiful violins and violas, including one five-string instrument (combination violin-viola) that was played on "Happy Go Lucky," a 2011 Grammy-nominated Cajun music album. Among the many instruments he made, especially treasured were small quarter- and half-sized violins that some of his grandchildren and great nephews used. A noteworthy treasure was a violin with a gargoyle scroll. He was a gifted technician and an artist. In addition to his violins, he made many playful and useful wood carvings. He was a masterful gardener; his seven children were raised on organic vegetables, which they failed to appreciate until they reached adulthood. Wade was a health-food and exercise devotee. He was known for taking long walks and bike rides. He and Glenna were also devoted word puzzle fans. For many years, he would start each morning with a cup of black coffee and a cryptogram and typically solved the puzzle in less than 30 minutes. Wade and Glenna moved from Candor, New York, to The Colony, Texas, in 2015 to be warmer and closer to at least some of their far-flung family. Wade was preceded in death by his wife, Glenna, and his daughter, Mary, and by his sister Anna Harris and brother Lee Wickline. He is survived by two daughters and four sons: Jeanne (Gary) LaBella of Arlington, VA; Dr. Deborah (Keith) McRoberts of Biscoe, NC; Joe (Denise) Wickline of The Colony, TX; Thomas (Connie) Wickline of Laceys Spring, AL; Richard Wickline of Star, NC; and Robert (Galyna) Wickline of Uvalde, TX. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren: Jamie McRoberts, Lindsey LaBella, Carsen LaBella, Jordan LaBella, Claire Nelsen, Corinne Aronhalt, Joseph Wickline, Olivia Wickline, Scott Wickline, Tracy Stewart, Veronica Barker, Andrei Samsonov and Tatiana Samsonova; and 13 great-grandchildren: Caleb Posey, Audrey Posey, Emma Wickline, Kyndel Wickline, Louise Aronhalt, Rigby Aronhalt, Hylan Willner, Leena Willner, Rosina Barker, Elias Barker, Timur Samsonov, Zlata Samsonova and Ksenia Samsonova. Two sisters, Roxie Wickline of Bowie, Md. , and Edna Mikesell of Richmond, Ind. , also survive him, along with several nieces and nephews. The family will hold a memorial service in The Colony, Texas, on January 13, 2024. His remains will be interred at Sparkman-Hillcrest Cemetery in Dallas. Following is the schedule for Wade Wickline's memorial service: Saturday, January 13:Show more
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