Carl August Bade Obituary

Date: 5 Nov 2017 to 5 Nov 2017
Location: Pottstown, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, United States
Surname/tag: Bade

This is an experiment. Profile manager is trying to capture the full text of the obituary for Carl August Bade printed in the Pottstown Mercury on 5 Nov 2017. This is the text:

"Carl Bade, 92, of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, passed away after a brief illness in the early hours of Saturday, October 21, 2017 at Pottstown Hospital, surrounded by family, including his wife Marie, sons, and grandsons. A long-time educator and voluntary service administrator with the United Church of Christ, Carl touched the lives of thousands throughout his decades-long career in the church, his community, and around the world. Carl August Bade was born December 6, 1924, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Carl W. Bade and Lena Gruendler Bade. After attending Mehlville High School, Carl was drafted into the Army in the final months of World War II and received the Purple Heart during service with the 75th Infantry Division at the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. Following his discharge, he attended Washington University in St. Louis, obtaining Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in education. After volunteering with the Waldensian Church in northern Italy to help rebuild communities devastated by the war, Carl resolved to devote his life to service in the church, and studied theology at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis. He then embarked on a career in youth ministry with the Evangelical & Reformed Church, which later became the United Church of Christ (UCC). His early ministry led him to be chosen by the UCC Board for Homeland Ministries in 1954 to help start its Voluntary Service Program, which became the main focus of his career. Carl and his wife Marie moved to Pottstown, PA to work alongside volunteers to build the program’s training center. As the eventual Secretary of Voluntary Service, he spent many decades developing, coordinating, and leading a program that trained and placed thousands of volunteers throughout the US and around the world. Over the course of his thirty-seven years of service to the UCC, Carl also worked on many aspects of the church organization, including new church development, Christian Education, and the International Christian Youth Exchange. Carl had many leadership roles, including serving as Interim Director of the Division of Evangelism, Education, and Church Extension. As important as his work was in the church, Carl was just as devoted as a husband and father. Carl married Marie Hoefer on September 11, 1954. The couple welcomed three sons over the next four years: Steven Carl, Paul Martin, and David Edward. Throughout their sixty-three years of marriage, Carl and Marie were devoted to each other. They became active members of the Shenkel United Church of Christ, where Carl served on its consistory, participated in adult Sunday school, and sang in the choir Marie directed for many decades. They also had the chance to travel to dozens of countries on five continents, often visiting volunteers he had placed. In his retirement, Carl volunteered his time leading the Endowed Scholarship Program at Lancaster Theological Seminary for fifteen years, helped prepare tax returns for the elderly through the AARP, and served for many terms as the Democratic representative on the North Coventry Township Board of Elections. A supporter of numerous charities, Carl also continued serving on the boards of A Christian Ministry in the National Parks, Prisoner Visitation and Support, and the American Waldensian Society, and stayed active in the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference of the UCC. Carl is survived by his wife Marie; sons Steven Bade, MD (Kim) of Lebanon, PA, Paul Bade (Sheri) of Foster City, CA, and David Bade (Tami) of Fort Worth, TX and Tracy, CA; grandsons Jason Bade and Scott Bade, both of New York City; step-granddaughters Lindsay Edwards of Honolulu, HI and Brie Edwards Gillinger (Hans) of Salinas, CA; brothers William Bade (Norma) of Arnold, MO and Tom Bade (Vesta) of House Springs, MO; sister-in-law Diane Bade of Fenton, MO; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brothers Raymond (Anna), Harold, and Edward. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Memorial Fund of Shenkel United Church of Christ (1580 Shenkel Road, Pottstown, PA 19465) or to the Carl A. and Marie H. Bade Scholarship Fund at Lancaster Theological Seminary (555 W. James Street, Lancaster, PA 17603). Two memorial services will be held: the first at Shenkel United Church of Christ in Pottstown, PA on November 12, 2017 at 3 pm (the family will receive friends at the church beginning at 2 pm); the second at the St. John’s Evangelical United Church of Christ in Mehlville, MO on December 9th, 2017. Arrangements are by the Schumacher & Benner Funeral Home & Crematory, at 359 King St. in Pottstown, PA. Our web site exists to serve the friends and family of the deceased. Go to http://www.schumacherandbenner.com to extend sympathies and access additional service details.

Published in The Mercury on Nov. 5, 2017