Nancy Wade
June 23, 1940 - January 20, 2021
Memorial Gifts & Donations
Nancy L. Wade, Professor Emeritus at Old Dominion University passed away on on January 20, 2021 at her home in Virginia Beach, VA.
Private services will be held at a later date.
There are currently no services
No fund set up at this time.
As Nancy’s hair stylist, I spent the last 5 years getting to know her. The love and respect I have for her is hard to put into words. She was a beautiful soul who never wavered from the true. She told you the truth. She laughed. (I loved when she cackled.) she joked. She gave me advise that I’ll cherish. She made me think. I always put her pearl earrings in after every haircolor, which she would remind me that they were older than I am. She would grade me on her hair after every visit, as a true professor.… Read more »
I am heartbroken having just heard that Nancy has passed away. She was dear to me – a generous mentor, an outrageous fearless teacher, a true friend, an inspiration, an exemplar. Even as I absorb this loss, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and joy for having known her. Like others here I was her teaching assistant and student. She was demanding in equal measure to how much she cared for and believed in us. “Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe.” That laugh – head thrown back, twinkling eyes, cackle! When I graduated I read a poem to… Read more »
Thank you Nancy for being a role model for women in science, being a tough, pugnacious professor, and allowing me to call you a friend. I was a TA for Nancy in the late 1990s, and she was as tough on us as her students. She loved biology and I will always be grateful that I knew her.
Nancy Wade, Biology Department faculty member extraordinaire, was one of the best professors I had while I was a student at ODU. She made you think, and would answer your questions after peppering you with at least five more to make sure you weren’t wasting your and her time. She was the best thing that ever happened to the Business Department, filling their classes with many an aspiring pre-med student. She regaled us with wonders biological, languidly picking her teeth with what you assumed was a toothpick, gradually meandering to discuss raccoons, and casually mention that male members of the… Read more »
Nancy will be remembered forever. She was a dear friend, pragmatuc, serious when it was called for, and a blast with her “announcements” of truth!
Loved her smile, laugh, and twinkling eyes. A pure treasure. Wishing love and healing thoughts to Linda, other dear friends of Nancy’s and her family.
I was fortunate to have taken Biology 101 with Professor Wade in 1973. While biology was not a required class for me, the lessons I learned in her class served me well in my studies, career, and life. May her memory be eternal.
Nancy Wade was my Biology 101 teacher at ODU in 1974. Big class in the auditorium. She managed to teach all of us many things about biology and life. Sure glad that I got to meet her.
Nancy was one of my favorite teachers at ODC. Biology was an elective for me while going for my degree in PE. My first encounter with her involved meeting her after class to discuss many things I didnt grasp right a way. I probably shouldnt say this, but as a young nervous college kid, the first thing she did was ask me if I`d like a beer to take the edge off. Of course I said yes and she immediately pulled a couple of Falstaff beers out of her small frig and we got down to discussing my lack of… Read more »
I was a teaching assistant for Nancy in the early 80’s. Nancy always had high expectations for her students and her teaching assistants and never shied away from giving you the unvarnished truth. I remember her telling me, while reviewing my undergraduate grades during my TA interview, that it was quite obvious which classes enjoyed and those I didn’t. I learned much from Nancy, including to be prepared at all times. Any student successfully completing her general biology class knew they had a solid grounding in biology to carry them through their future coursework and career. Many students owe a… Read more »
Ms. Wade was a master teacher as my Biology professor at ODU in the 70’s. She was also my advisor. As a first year Biology instructor, she gave budding scientists a solid understandIng of biological sciences that has served me well throughout my life, both personally and professionally. I can still hear her say, “When in doubt, ‘surface area’ or ‘parenchyma’!” She also served as a role model for young women in STEM. Love to her family and a huge salute for her impact on many, many students.