Donald H. Bade

It has been one year since the passing of Donald Henry Bade of Peabody, MA, on November 16, 2020. He went to his heavenly home due to complications from pneumonia at age 91, with his wife Ursula and daughter Susan by his side. Don is also survived by two other children, Kris Albert of Pittsburg, NH, and Paul Bade of Rochester, NH, and Susan's partner Ian Wallis, and by a grandson Jeffrey Malley (spouse Ann-Louise), and great-grandsons Jaden and Austin of Florida. Don joins his beloved daughter Karen Louise in eternal life, as she died at age 19 of cancer in 1976.
Don was born in Plymouth, WI, on January 25, 1929, the younger of two sons of Elwood and Viola Bade. While attending Plymouth High School, he worked in the family furniture business and saved money for college. He received his BBA in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin, and was then drafted into the Army, where he served two years, mostly at Fort Knox, KY. During one leave, while he was helping deliver furniture, he took a table to a family in Oshkosh and met Ursula, the radiant young woman that he subsequently married on August 15, 1953. They celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary just three months before Don’s death.
Throughout his life, Don was devoted to his family, his church, his work, and his community. Between 1954 and 1959, Kristin Kay, Karen Louise, and Paul Elwood were born, while Don was working at General Electric in Syracuse, NY. Ursula, who was a Registered Nurse, continued her nursing career between children. After moves to Schenectady, NY, Easton, CT, and finally Byfield, MA,  their family grew again with the birth of Susan Karla in 1968.
Don’s longest, most recent, and favorite employment was his 19 years as Comptroller at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. He and Ursula delighted in the educational and cultural environment there; they both sang with the Academy’s student choir on several overseas trips. During the 50 years that Don and Ursula were devoted and active members of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Topsfield, MA, Don’s resonant bass voice anchored the choir right up to the last year of his life.
In awe of God’s creation, Don loved the natural world, and enjoyed it both at home and away, through hiking, skiing, swimming, camping, and traveling, especially after retirement, RVing through all 50 states and more than 200 National Parks and Monuments. His stewardship to nature was reflected in his tireless volunteerism with a variety of community based natural resource advocacy organizations; among them Essex County Greenbelt Association, The Trustees of Reservations, and the Parker River Clean Water Association. Don enthusiastically sought to contribute to every community he was in. He took leadership roles in Brooksby Village, the retirement community to which he and Ursula moved into in 2010. He had an engaging demeanor that encouraged everyone to participate, and he was good at making people smile, laugh, and feel appreciated.
Don was a man of great integrity and generosity of spirit. He will be sorely missed. Per his wishes, his body has been cremated, and his ashes have been placed in the family site in the South Byfield Cemetery, Georgetown, MA. 
The date for the Memorial Service at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Topsfield, MA is being finalized and will be available on Don’s webpage at Mackey Funeral Home, Middleton, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to any of the above mentioned organizations: Our Savior Lutheran Church, Essex County Greenbelt, Parker River Clean Water Association, Trustees of the Reservation’s, Brooksby Village (Employee Fund, Scholarship Fund, or Care Fund). Kindly visit www.mackeyfuneralhome.com to share a condolence.

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