Charlotte Smith Wade

Born in Quanah, Texas on February 22, 1946, Charlotte Smith Wade was a fun-loving, kind person with a ready smile, hearty laugh, and many friends. She was the wife of James C. Wade for 58 years, mother to Melanie Wade Siewert and Jamie Wade, grandmother to Benjamin Wing, Jeremy Wing, Sophie Hampton, and Devin Siewert, and great-grandmother to Felicity Church. She loved her family fiercely including son-in-law Jeff Siewert, granddaughter-in-law Andreya Dunks, her brothers- and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and -nephews. Charlotte was an only child but was surrounded in life by many cousins whom she has remained close to over the years. She was a proud Texan and stayed close to the girlfriends (affectionately known as the Packrats) she had known since childhood.

To know Charlotte was to know a big-hearted, smart, and occasionally sassy woman. She grew up in Quanah with her doting parents and attended Abilene Christian College. She met James when he came to Quanah during her freshman year for a blind double date. It was so successful that James transferred from Texas Tech to ACC and the rest is history. She graduated in 1967 with a husband, a daughter (Melanie), and a BSE in Special Education with a specialty in Speech Pathology. The family moved to Austin where Jamie was born and then to Ames, Iowa where James completed his Ph.D. at Iowa State University.

In 1976, Charlotte, James, and the girls moved to Tucson, Arizona, where they resided for over 20 years. While there, Charlotte graduated from the University of Arizona with a master’s degree in interior design with an emphasis on universal design and a graduate certificate in Gerontology. Both were catalysts for her career in advocacy on disability issues. In 1996, James and Charlotte moved to Burtonsville, Maryland, and finally in 2011 retired to Asheville, North Carolina.

Throughout her life, Charlotte was a voice for equality and opportunity for all. She combined her love of design with her desire to help people. From running a program to adapt housing so those with physical disabilities could remain in their homes, building and leading two fair housing programs, and creating the design certification for Certified Aging in Place Professionals with the National Association of Home Builders Research Center, Charlotte made life better for people. When she retired and moved to Asheville she became a volunteer leader helping in organizations that supported the causes she believed in.

One of her proudest moments was contributing to the Americans with Disabilities Act. (ADA) The late Senator John McCain of Arizona asked Charlotte to provide expertise on building adaptations that would be needed to increase accessibility. In 1990, she witnessed President George H.W. Bush sign the bill standing in the White House Rose Garden next to Senator McCain.

Charlotte leaves a legacy of kindness and caring across the hearts of her many friends, her dear family, and the communities she served. Charlotte demonstrated what it meant to be a Christian in her many actions. She lived a life of faith, being a loving wife and mother, caring for all people, and fighting for those without a voice.

Charlotte left this world on September 20, 2023, to be with her Heavenly Father and be reunited with those who have gone before her. She fought a valiant fight against ovarian cancer and her time came far too soon. Charlotte was preceded in death by her father Hubert F. Smith and mother Austelle Reed Smith.

Charlotte always loved flowers. Rarely would you come into her home that there weren’t flowers. The many flowers she received during her illness lifted her spirit. However, rather than sending flowers, the family requests, if you are so inclined, memorial gifts can be made to Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity’s Home Repair program to provide affordable repairs for low-income and older adults in our community.

Donate online here: Donation Form (donorperfect.net) or Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, 3 Meadow Road, Asheville, NC 28803.

A celebration of Charlotte’s life will be held on October 22 at 1:30 p.m. at the Biltmore Lake Clubhouse at Enka Lake, 80 Lake Drive, Candler, North Carolina.