Wade Wallace grew up in a house in Appalachian Tennessee without electricity or indoor plumbing — running water came from a pipe in the back that collected runoff from a hill.
He never graduated from high school and apparently “fudged his way” into Hammel-Actual Business College, his son Jimmy said.
In the 1950s, Wade Wallace bought and ran Ford and Lincoln-Mercury dealerships in his adopted town of Barberton and became an Akron-area philanthropist.
Along the way, Wallace served in the Army in France in World War II where he became a master sergeant and was awarded three Bronze Stars. He married and raised a family.
He also developed a deep passion for golf, often playing six days a week.
Wallace died April 1 at Concordia at Sumner in Copley Township, where he had been living since 2011. He was 94.
A cousin called Wallace his hero, recalled his son Jimmy.
“Nobody down there in the [Tennessee] hills ever amounted to anything. He did so well. What a person,” Jimmy Wallace said.
And what an interesting life as well.
Wallace’s passion for golf led to him befriending and playing with local and international celebrities including Raymond Firestone, E.J. Thomas, John S. Knight, Tom Watson, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Payne Stewart, band leader Sammy Kaye and pro bowler Dick Weber. He also played some of Scotland’s finest courses with a group of friends.
He played one of his last full games of golf at the age of 87 at Firestone Country Club, coming home and saying “At least I can still shoot my age,” his son recalled.
Wallace also was believed to have been the oldest member at Firestone Country Club. He earned the nickname “Wade the Blade” because of his ability to make putts, especially when the pressure was on.
Wallace sponsored a pro-am tournament at Firestone in the 1970s and funded a golf scholarship at the University of Akron. He received the O.C. Barber Award from the Barberton Sports Hall of Fame because of his strong support for Barberton athletics.
Wallace was also a fixture for decades on WAKR (1590-AM) radio, with the station’s Jack Ryan doing live remote broadcasts from the Wallace dealership on Saturdays. Wallace spent most of the time promoting local charities and sports instead of on selling cars.
His dad lived an honorable life and ran his business the same way, Jimmy Wallace said.
“He was so honest,” he said. As a result, customers were amazingly loyal, he said. Ford Motor Co.’s measurement of dealership customer loyalty always placed the Wallace dealerships “off the charts,” he said.
Wallace was also a past president of the Akron Area Automobile Dealers Association.
Wade Wallace also liked to spend time in Florida, particularly on Marco Island on the Gulf Coast, where he owned property and liked to golf.
In his later years, his father developed an interest in gardening, Jimmy Wallace said. “Anybody who stopped by to visit him, you didn’t [leave] there without produce.”
Wade Wallace also liked to give people nicknames, including his three children. First-born son Lee was nicknamed Pete; second-born Bob was called Repete; and third-born Jimmy was called Pistol Pete.
His wife, Betty, died in 2007. Besides his three sons, he is survived by seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Calling hours and services were Monday at Bacher Funeral Home, with private burial at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery.
Jim Mackinnon can be reached at 330-996-3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him @JimMackinnonABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/JimMackinnonABJ. His stories can be found at www.ohio.com/writers/jim-mackinnon.