John Clark Wade, passed away unexpectedly, at the age of 62, on June 11, 2025, in Bacliff, Texas.  John was born on August 3, 1962, in Washington D.C. to Lewis Clark Wade and Joan Hager (Gatlin) Wade. At the age of 3, John moved to the Houston area following his father’s acceptance into the NASA program.  John spent most of his early years growing up in Nassau Bay, Texas where he made many lifelong friends.  During his early years, John was often found tinkering with (basically taking apart from top to bottom) clocks, radios, lawn mowers and, ultimately, vehicles.  Not always to the pleasure of his parents as their garage floor was often flooded with various parts and pieces of his current “experiment”.  Much like his later years, John was known for “pushing the envelope”.  Notably, he started his own business, Wade Enterprise, at the ripe old age of 10.  As President of his newly founded venture, John would receive free offerings from a variety of government and other organizations.  This inaugural company would become John’s primary business for the remainder of his life and allow him to explore other ventures and business opportunities.

With an insatiable appetite for learning, John was an avid reader and one of the first in his generation to understand the value and future uses of personal computers as he and a high school friend quickly became resident experts on the first personal computer known as the Commadore 64.  Having grown up in the closeknit community of Nassau Bay and spending his entire youth in the Clear Creek Independent School District (a 1980 graduate of Clear Creek High School), John sought to capitalize on and continue to expand his knowledge base through traditional channels while also focusing on meeting and befriending many influential business owners and politicians to further his personal goals and share ideas; a practice he would continue throughout his life.

Following high school, John spent a short stint at Texas A&M University where he was majoring in Engineering.  However, the day-to-day “boredom” of college life was not meant for him as he needed to be his own boss and create his own opportunities. After making this decision, John began a long and expansive career that started with construction and renovation, later moving into installation of high-end audio/visual systems, DirecTV and Generac distribution and installation ultimately, culminating with a combination of all these disciplines as well as establishing his own security installation and monitoring companies.

A man of many hats, he was heavily involved in the economic development of his home of some 20 years, Bacliff, Texas.  It was also a priority of his to ensure the safety and best interests of Bacliff residents and those in surrounding areas such as San Leon.  To that end, John participated in CERT, a local volunteer emergency search and response organization, was an unofficial volunteer member of both the San Leon and Bacliff Fire and EMS departments, was part of a volunteer citizen neighborhood patrol group and was a long-time member of the Bacliff Lions Club.  In recent years, John purchased and was the primary author for a local area bi-monthly newspaper known as the “Eagle Point Press”.  He also worked with two other individuals to establish the Bayshore Community Services non-profit facilitating area interests and improvements.  John was also known as an avid supporter of animal safety and rescue organizations and was rarely known to be without one of his trusted four-legged companions.

While John is known to many for his business and volunteer roles, he also enjoyed get-togethers with family and friends.  During holidays, “Uncle Johnny” as he was known by his two nieces, was a huge fan favorite.  The girls would often be heard asking when he was coming over because he gave “THE BEST” gifts.  It was hard to compete when someone shows up with gifts that need to be brought on a trailer!

Also known for his love to tease and challenge family and friends, there were countless occasions when John would pose a question, tell a story or a joke to make those around him “think”.  Some of the jokes he would tell would be so cerebral that only he was the one laughing as the rest of the group tried to figure out what he just said.  And as many who knew John can attest, he was never short on “offering” his opinion on virtually any topic.

John’s parents were incredibly proud of all his accomplishments but, to them, he was their “go to” person when they needed help with virtually anything.  His love of “tinkering” translated into a love of helping.  His parents probably have the most advanced electronics in the neighborhood that would require frequent visits of explaining how to use everything… a likely planned scenario to stop by, offer help and perhaps join for dinner.

A beloved son, brother and uncle, John would likely be most proud of his time mentoring younger members of the community, encouraging them to learn, grow and become good stewards of their own communities.  We collectively thank you for all your contributions and generosity.  Rest in peace.

John is preceded in death by his father, Lewis (Lew) Wade, as well as various aunts and uncles.  He is survived by his mother, Joan, sister, Andrea Koop (Mike), and nieces, Lauren and Katherine (Katie) Koop.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a future date in Bacliff, Texas.  A location, date and time will be provided soon.  Please check back for updates.

For those wishing to donate in John’s memory, please do so to the local chapter of your SPCA or animal rescue organization.