NO. 17533 • September 29, 1927 – November 26, 2022
Robert (Bob) Ambrose Shade, age 95 passed away November 26, 2022, at the Baywoods Assisted Living Center in Annapolis, Maryland.
Bob was predeceased by his parents, Lt. Cmdr. Simon L. Shade and Adah Helene Shade, his twin sisters Lois A. Shade and Lorna R. Shade of La Mesa, California, and his wife of 67 years, Audrey Grace Shade (2020). Surviving is his son Neil Thompson Shade (Victoria Vestrich) of Towson, MD, and their children Colette Shade and Nathan Vestrich-Shade, of Towson and San Francisco, and his daughter Leslie Regan Shade (Ian Duncan) of Ottawa, Canada, and their children Fiona Duncan and Malcolm Duncan, of New York and Montreal.
Bob was born September 29, 1927, in Long Beach, California, and moved several times during his father’s assignments in the Navy, before they settled on Shade Road in La Mesa, California. A graduate of Grossmont High School in La Mesa, Bob entered military service in 1946 and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy with the Class of 1950. While at West Point assigned to Company M-1, he was active as captain of the sailing team and member of the camera club. After graduation he was assigned to the 1st Armored Division stationed in post-war Germany. In 1952 he married Audrey Thompson of Brooklyn, New York in Bayreuth, Germany.
Bob’s military career took him to many postings throughout the United States, Vietnam, and Korea. Later serving in the Chemical Corps, highlights include receiving a Master of Science degree from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, serving as instructor and assistant professor of chemistry at the West Point Military Academy Department of Chemistry and Physics, serving in Vietnam as Military Assistance Command Chemical Officer, commanding the Support Command, Second Infantry Division in Korea and his last assignment, commanding the Deseret Test Center and Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. In recognition of his military service, Bob was awarded the Legion of Merit, two Oak Leaf Clusters, and two times the Air Medal. Bob retired as a Colonel in 1974 and specialized in energy conservation, management, and development activities with Boise Cascade Corporation in Boise, Idaho, and in 1987, with Synergics in Annapolis, Maryland.
Retirement followed in 1997 where for many years Bob and Audrey enjoyed recreational boating and an array of award-winning standard poodles which they bred and showed throughout the country. Bob continued his ties to the Class of 1950 serving as secretary and helping to organize various class reunions. The family fondly remembers Bob for his gentle manner and sly wit.
A memorial service and inurnment will be held in 2023 at the Old Cadet Chapel, United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.