Herman Wade Schlameus passed away in his sleep on November 8th, 2012. Wade was born to Herman and Melitta Schlameus at their home east of Blanco, Texas, on November 27, 1937. He was the 7th of 8 children. Wade grew up in a tight-knit farm and ranch family with 4 brothers and 3 sisters. He attended Blanco public schools, graduating from Blanco High School in 1956. Growing up on the ranch, he developed a lifelong love for the outdoors. He was a good student and participated in sports until he was seriously injured in a automobile accident when he was 16 yrs old. He recovered from the accident over time but never regained full use of his right leg.
After graduation from high school he attended Southwest Texas State College (Texas State University). He majored in Chemistry with a minor in Biology. During the summers he was a member of a highway clean-up crew for the Texas Highway Department in San Antonio. He graduated with a BS in Chemistry in May of 1960 and began a long and distinguished career.
Wade was employed by Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas in August of 1960 as a laboratory technician in the Chemistry Department. He continued with SwRI for 46 years before retiring in 2006. He achieved the level of Staff Scientist, the highest technical title awarded by SwRI.
While at SwRI he was involved in the encapsulation of various materials developing new processes and products, which led to SwRI's preeminence in the field of microencapsulation. He developed techniques for encapsulating a wide variety of materials including hydrocarbons, flavors, living organisms, drugs, biologicals, pesticides, dyes, water and water solutions, fumigants, and epoxy curatives. He was also involved in product and process development for large scale production of microcapsules. Other accomplishments included developing rapid gelation of liquid fuels and the study of combustion and extinguishment techniques in pure oxygen atmospheres. Wade held numerous patents, authored many technical papers and gave a large number of technical presentations at various meetings and symposiums. He was an excellent project manager and did not go over budget on any of the projects he managed throughout his career. He was a member of Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society and the Controlled Release Society.
After retirement Wade devoted himself to his love for the outdoors. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. In the last few years he gave up hunting due to mobility problems but continued fishing. His last trip to Baffin Bay was in September of this year with his close friends, Dan and Jiggie. The three of them were close friends for 40 years and hosted a goat roast for many years. Wade survived prostate cancer, kidney cancer, and chronic infections in the leg he injured at the age of 16. Almost two years ago he began having serious cardiac issues due to a silent heart attack he had suffered at some point in his life. He fought his way back to functionality and fishing. He was always a friend of the underdog and helped many people through the years pull themselves out of dire circumstances. He did this quietly and compassionately. He will be sorely missed by many.
Wade is survived by his brother Robert Schlameus and wife Marie of Austin, step-daughter Robin Anthony of San Antonio, numerous nieces, grand-nieces, nephews and grand-nephews, his longtime friend Gloria Blackwell, and last, but not least, his lifetime friends Dan Cifers and Jiggie Johnson. He was preceded in death by his parents, 6 of his 7 siblings and most recently by his companion for the last 13 years, a beautiful sweet Lab named Max.
It was Wade's desire to be cremated and taken for one last trip to Baffin Bay where Dan and Jiggie will spread his ashes along with Max's ashes on the waters that he loved. Family and friends will have a memorial gathering at a future date. If you wish to honor Wade's life, do something good for someone. Donate to a charity for children or an animal rescue/shelter. I promise you will make him smile if you do.
1 photo attached to this article.
More from Obituaries.