Sarah Louise Wade

Miss Sarah Louise Wade, of Cave Spring, Georgia, passed away on Wednesday, August 31. A native of Savannah, Georgia, she was the daughter of Austin Wade, Sr. and Christine Bouchard Wade. She attended Catholic elementary schools and Savannah High, where she excelled in basketball, track, swimming, volleyball, softball, and many other sports activities. After graduation from Armstrong State University and the University of Georgia with a degree in Physical Education, in 1955 she began her 34-year career as teacher and coach at Georgia School for the Deaf.

Teaching athletics was her job, but her passion was teaching sportsmanship and teamwork. Coaching deaf girls to play sports against hearing teams was not an easy task, but she inspired her players to meet every challenge they faced. Her basketball and track teams were victorious in many regional match-ups. In 1975, her team won the National Deaf Prep Championship in track. In 1977, she was named one of the coaches of the Deaf Olympics, held in Bucharest, Romania. In 1980, her GSD basketball team won the Mason-Dixon championship.

In addition to local honors, Coach Wade was inducted into the Greater Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame for her years as an athlete in Savannah and for her many years of coaching. She also traveled through the State, talking to deaf children and parents about the opportunities offered at GSD. Her influence and inspiration were wide-spread throughout the deaf community in Georgia.

Survivors include her long-time friend and housemate, Micki Gaines; a sister-in-law, Dorothy Wade, of Savannah; a niece, Diane Wade, Savannah; two nephews, Lee Wade, Savannah, and Stephen Wade, Washington, New Hampshire. Great-nieces and great-nephew, Cathy Wade, Austin Wade, and Kaylee Wade also survive.

A funeral mass will be held Saturday, September 3, 2011, at 2 p.m. at St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church in Cedartown. The family will receive friends at Daniel’s Funeral Home, Rome, on Friday, September 2, 2011, from 6 until 8 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church, 101 S. College St., Cedartown, GA, 30125; Best Friends Animal Society, 5001 Angel Canyon Rd., Kanab, Utah 84741, or the charity of your choice.