James R. Wade ’59

Named one of the “Best Lawyers in America” for multiple years, Jim suffered a stroke on Thanksgiving Day 2021. He worked to regain his strength during the following year but died Dec. 17, 2022. He was predeceased by both his first wife, Peggy, in 1992, and his second wife, Kay, in 2021. He is survived by two daughters and several grandchildren.

Jim was raised in Denver, where he eventually returned to practice law. At Princeton, he entered the Woodrow Wilson School, wrote his thesis for the history department, and was a member of Campus Club. Jim’s activities on campus included the Undergraduate Schools Committee, the Intercollegiate Committee, the Rocky Mountain Empire Club, and Whig-Clio. His roommates were Bennett, Driver, Montgomery, Oakes, Rosenthal, West, and P. Woods.

After Princeton, Jim enrolled at Harvard Law School, graduating in 1962. From early in his career his specialty became probate and estate law. His path included a stint as judge of the Denver Probate Court and as author of Colorado Probate System, a widely acclaimed guide on estate administration in Colorado. When he stepped down from the bench in 1982, Jim and others formed a boutique law firm, which continues to the present.

A teacher at heart, Jim’s three greatest passions were to read poetry to his caregivers, identify birds and explain their habits, and listen to and share stories behind opera.