Thomas J. Shade

**Thomas J. Shade**, 76, of Versailles passed away Monday, June 11, 2007, at Margaret Mary Community Hospital in Batesville after a lengthy illness. The son of Rudolph and Annemarie (Huneke) Shade, Tom was born on April 21, 1931, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He married Lila Lostutter Halcomb on October 22, 1955, and she survives. Other survivors include one daughter Jackie and her husband Lee Benham of Scottsburg and one son Steve and his wife Donna (Shook) of Trinity, North Carolina; two grandsons, Adam and William Shade, and one granddaughter Elizabeth (Benham) Warren and husband Iven of New Albany. Also, he is survived by two sisters, Irene Squires of Rye, NH, and Emily Voss of Milan; one brother William (Bill) Shade of Gettysburg, PA; and several nieces and nephews. Tom was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Dick Shade, his sister Marie Baker and her husband Daren Baker, and his brother-in-law Henry (Hank) Voss. A graduate of Versailles High School in the Class of 1949, Tom served in the United States Army from August 1949 until January 1952, spending 16 months and participating in six battle campaigns in Korea. Following his service to his country, Tom began a 27-year career in Civil Service that took him to various locations in several states. Although much of his time was spent at the Jefferson Proving Ground, Tom also had a contract management position with NASA at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After his retirement from government work in 1976, Tom began traveling for a foundry company, selling supplies in Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio, and West Virginia. He retired for the final time on December 31, 1990. For many years Tom and Lila spent their winters in Leesburg, Florida, where among other activities Tom enjoyed singing in a barbershop chorus. He continued that activity in this area by becoming a member of the Tri-County Harmonizers until his health deteriorated several months ago. When his Versailles High School class celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1999, Tom wrote in the memory book: "Over the years we have traveled from Maine to California and have never found any other place we'd rather be than Versailles. My life has been my family and my work." For 36 years, Tom and his family lived behind Tyson Gym in a large home located on 18 acres. In November 2002 they moved to their present home at 501 Clearview Lane in Versailles. A member of the Versailles Baptist Church, Tom participated in the adult choir and was an ordained deacon. He also belonged to the American Legion and was a 27-year member of the Versailles Lions Club. Visitation will be at Stratton-Karsteter Funeral Home in Versailles on Thursday, June 14, from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held at the Versailles Baptist Church on Friday, June 15, at 11:00 a.m. Memorials may be given to the Versailles Baptist Church or the donor's choice.