Wade E. Abbott was born in Pomona, California on January 7, 1948 to Arline Lauretta Summers and Fred E. Abbott. He lived his first year in Chino, California with his parents until Fred, a First Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, was recalled to fly in the Berlin Airlift. Wade and Arline subsequently joined Fred in Germany, traveling via ship. When Wade was three years old, he and his mother returned, once again, via ship, to the U.S., residing in Altadena, California with Wade’s maternal Grandmother Elsa.
Wade attended John Marshall Junior High School in Pasadena and thereafter was a Pasadena City High School student, playing various sports and earning a Congressional nomination to compete for appointment at the Air Force Academy, graduating in 1966.
Wade then put himself through college, first Cal State LA and then UC Santa Barbara, his dream college. Students at UCSB at that time were heavily involved in political and social upheavals - but not Wade! He was into surfing (and girls – he struck out with girls in high school)! He graduated in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. (Hmm – what kind of job do you get with that?)
(Interestingly, Wade always said he learned more from his avid book reading than he did from college classes; in fact, he passed on his love for history to his son.)
Wade then moved to the Sacramento area and worked for the Sacramento Medical Center in the file room. Yes, he got a degree for that!! Well, that got old fast! Some years later he was accepted at California Western School of Law in San Diego, once again putting himself through by working as a security guard at night.
While Wade was in his last semester of law school, he moved to Visalia to be a law clerk in the District Attorney’s office. He thereafter passed the bar in June, 1983 and continued his career in the Visalia DA’s office for a year-and-a-half before transferring to the Indio branch of the Riverside County DA’s office. Wade only worked in the Indio DA’s office for six months, but that was enough time for his wife, Kim Marie, an Official Court Reporter in Indio, to “snag” him, as she says! (Wade remembers looking out his office window in Indio and seeing camel races! He was bewildered and amused!)
Not one to stay in a place very long at that time, Wade next worked in the San Diego DA’s office, working out of the Vista branch. This move allowed Wade to be closer to his daughter Erin Arline Abbott, which was his ultimate goal.
Wade and Kim married in June, 1986, a mere 10 months after meeting, and, once again, moved to Redlands, Kim’s home town, where Wade continued his career in the San Bernardino DA’s office. Wade and Kim enjoyed many visits and summers with Erin, who helped babysit her brother Wade, born in 1991, and her sister, Gerry Summer, born in 1994. Wade and Kim lived many years in Redlands until Wade retired in March of 2012 and Kim retired in December of 2013.
Wade and Kim lived part-time in their condo in Laguna Niguel and also in their home in Long Beach, Washington but eventually sold both residences to buy a home in Mission Viejo after Wade received devastating medical news in November of 2018.
Wade was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. Wade NEVER smoked a cigarette in his life. Two months before this diagnosis, he had walked his youngest daughter down the aisle, and one month before he had completed two ocean scuba dives off the Oahu coast. Wade’s lung cancer was caused by a gene known as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Wade had NEVER even had so much as a cold during his 38 years of marriage to Kim – it was only because of his coughing after the Hawaii vacation that he went to a doctor at Kim’s insistence.
To know Wade was to love him. He was a kind man. He was a true gentleman and scholar (and sometime comedian). He would often lift the heavy water bottle packages at Costco for women who were having trouble, even though he himself suffered from back and cancer pain.
Wade treated all people as equals, and as a Deputy District Attorney, he judged each defendant as an individual and recommended reasonable sentences to judges. Kim received at least three phone calls at home from defendants wanting to thank Wade for giving them another chance at life. Wade also received letters from defendants thanking him for his fair treatment. Jurors wrote letters to judges to voice their respect for Wade.
Wade LOVED the ocean. His love of surfing began during his high school years and continued throughout his life. He also enjoyed snorkeling and scuba diving. He taught both son Wade and Gerry how to surf when they were each about seven years old, which they still do to this day. Wade and Gerry actually went on a shark drive, and although they did not interact with any sharks, they did swim next to a whale! During a Big Island of Hawaii vacation in December of 2013, Wade, Kim, Erin, Wade II, and Gerry participated in a manta ray snorkel/dive. A perfect ocean day for Wade was being on his surfboard, whether or not he was catching waves.
Wade also LOVED his dogs. Throughout the course of his life, he had many – Toby, Penny, Daisy, Bear, Buck, Sam, Jake, and Molly. He never met a dog that did not love him!
And it was a rare day that Wade did not enjoy some ice cream, especially his own homemade milk shakes (or his Ovaltine)! Chocolate was his favorite. Even during his home hospice, Kim made him his favorite shakes (and hot chocolate with Ovaltine). His family often marveled at how much ice cream he could devour!
Wade was not a very social person. He thoroughly enjoyed working with his fellow attorneys and clerical staff and judges, but his focus was his family. Wade’s dedication to his family was his everything! He taught his children to be moral human beings. He taught by example. Wade left this world knowing that all three of his children lead principled lives and are mirrors of what he wanted them to be.
Wade LOVED his wife Kim. He often said to her he did not know if there were ever another person who loved someone as much as he loved her. The feeling was mutual. Their love story was and still continues to be unbreakable – the epitome of what a marriage should be. There was no “work” in their marriage – it was easy.
Wade is survived by his legacy: his wife Kim Marie, the absolute love of his life; his three children, Erin Arline Homami (spouse Navid); his son Wade E. Abbott II (spouse Nicole); his daughter Gerry Summer Sikes (spouse Derek). He also adored his six grandchildren: Anthony, Emily Arline, Mackenzie Erin, Sophie Marie (Erin and Navid’s children); Julian (Wade and Nicole’s son); and Dylan Marie (Gerry and Derek’s daughter). Wade is also survived by his sister Michelle Cole and niece Jessika Richmond.
Wade succumbed to his cancer on September 18 at home surrounded by his wife and three children. He had been on home hospice since June 12. Kim, Erin, Wade, and Gerry are glad that he was not suffering anymore; in fact, his passing was fairly fast, and he did not suffer horribly. Wade waited until his son Wade flew in from Oregon to pass. Within minutes of ALL his children and his wife holding his hand, he left this physical world, but he will ALWAYS be alive to his loving family; he will also be missed incredibly every single second.
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