Richard "Dick" Armstrong Wade

Richard "Dick" Armstrong Wade died at home on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at the age of 90.

Dick was born in Detroit, Michigan on September 27, 1935, the son of Charles and Kathleen (nee Baker) Wade. He grew up in Michigan attending Grosse Pointe elementary schools, moved to Sturgis attending Sturgis High School until his senior year when the family moved back to the Detroit area. He graduated from Grosse Pointe High School in 1953. He excelled at cross country and track, finishing 2nd in the state championship in the mile run. 

He attended MIT, Class of 1957. He studied chemical engineering, ran cross country and track, played lacrosse, and was a brother of the Sigma Nu fraternity. Early in his second year at MIT, while attending an acquaintance dance with Wellesley College, he met his future wife Sharon "Chris" Christie. They celebrated 60 years of marriage on October 11, 2018. They had 3 children affectionately referred to as, "Clone 1, Clone 2, and Clone 3".

His early career included working with Honeywell in Philadelphia, PA and Akron, OH. During that time, he also graduated from the Active Army Ordnance Officer Basic Course after which he declined a Regular Army commission and commenced an 11-year National Guard service.

Dick attended Harvard Business School, graduating with an MBA in 1964. He often joked he entered Harvard with his pregnant wife and 1 child and graduated Harvard with his pregnant wife and 2 children. After Business School he worked in Columbus, OH for Industrial Nucleonics and was also the Commander of an Armored Cavalry Troop in the Ohio National Guard. He moved his family to Tower Lakes in 1966. In 1968, he started his own business, Huygen Corporation, designing, engineering, and building precision testing equipment for the pulp and paper industry. One of his instruments received a US Patent for a “System for measuring solids and/or immiscible liquids in liquids.”

He and Chris loved to travel, visiting all 50 states, most of Western Europe, Canada, China, Colombia, Korea, and Panama. They took each of their grandchildren on a personal tour of Europe and England. He learned to fly a single engine fixed-wing aircraft. He fulfilled a life-long dream when he purchased a Cessna 172 and, with his wife as his co-pilot, flew to Alaska, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories.

Living in Tower Lakes, raising his family, he played tennis, enjoyed summer evening swims with his family across the lake, and putting up the hockey boards each year. He volunteered as a coach, referee, and president of the North Barrington Hockey League, served on the TLIA Board and was president of the North Barrington Elementary School PTO. A big part of Tower Lakes life is the annual 4th of July festivities where he organized and ran the fireworks display over the lake at Murray Park for many years. With a limited budget, he tried not to hasten the end of the 4th , but always ended with the Niagara Falls, the American Flag and a continuous string of small fireworks to give the small village a big show feel of a grand finale to the 4th .

Being active was important to him and he continued playing hockey into his 50’s, tennis into his 70's and running the Tower Lakes Turkey Trot in his 80’s. He was a member of the Hustlers Ski Club with numerous ski trips to the Rockies and Canada until his mid 80's. Being a gifted storyteller, he enjoyed the ski trips because he never met a stranger and always kept dinner conversations interesting.

Dick was a talented man who could have been anything he wanted to be in life. He could have followed family members, becoming an artist, an opera singer, or a minister. He could have become a journalist, an executive at a large corporation or even a professor at MIT. However, he chose the path that enabled him to share his time, talents and wisdom with family, friends and neighbors. He believed in making a bold statement in life and often said, "I've had a very, very good life."

He is survived by his children Roderick (Diane) Wade, Garrett (Laurel) Wade, and Susan (Craig) Hughey. Grandchildren Ryan Wade, Kelsey (Paul) Dennison, Carson (Emily) Hughey, and Maretta (Thomas) Cook. Great grandchildren Teddy Armstrong Dennison and Virgil Wade Hughey.

Dick was predeceased by his parents, his sister Shirlee Wade, daughter-in-law Diane (nee Kane) Wade, his wife Chris, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Visitation will be on Saturday, August 15, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM with a prayer service at 12:30 PM at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 149 W. Main St. (Lake Cook Rd.), Barrington. Private Interment will follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Aflac Childhood Cancer Foundation at www.aflacchildhoodcancer.org or Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) at www.breakthrought1d.org.