Wade Denton Entzminger of Redington Shores and Tampa, Florida completed his journey to Jesus on February 12, 2023 at the age of 81 while at Bay Pines Veteran’s Hospital.
Wade was born in Orlando, Florida on July 31, 1941, to Wade Swagert Entzminger and Edith Denton. He is survived by his wife, Nina, two daughters, and six grandsons: Ashley Jackson (Ernie): Clark, Matthew, Titus, Josiah & Lindsey Bugna (Scott): Camden, Carter.
Wade, an only child, was an active member of Seminole Heights Baptist, Lake Carroll Baptist and Idlewild Baptist Church. He attended Sligh Jr. High and then graduated in 1959 from Hillsborough High School (HHS) where he excelled in academics and football.
Wade played guard at HHS where he earned 1st team All-City, All-City Scholastic Team, All-Western
Conference, All-State 3rd team honors and was inducted into the HHS Hall of Fame. His time as a Terrier propelled him to the University of Florida on a full scholarship and played as a starter his junior year and played both offense and defense as a senior.
He was a lifelong Gator Booster and a member of the F-Club. Once returning from his third tour in
Vietnam, Wade was a University of Florida season ticket holder through the 2022-2023 season.
In 55 years Wade only missed 2 regular season home games; he bled orange and blue! After graduating with a B.S. in Business Construction, he entered the US Air Force as an officer and was honorably discharged as a Captain. He volunteered for his tours to Vietnam. Wade loved his family and had a passion for mission work, anything UF, travel, long bike rides, walks on the beach, construction, and anything adventurous.
He was a volunteer mentor at Just elementary and also volunteered at James A. Haley VA Hospital. He was an avid reader an had a unique way of choosing books from the library. He read every author of his liking with the last name beginning with an “A” and worked through the entire alphabet and then repeated the method over and over.
He will be truly missed by all who knew him. A Military Honors Funeral will be held on Friday, April 7, 2023, at 11 am at the Bay Pines National Cemetery, 10000 Bay Pines Blvd., St. Petersburg, FL 33708.
Immediately following, a Celebration of Life will be held at a separate location. If you wish to attend the Celebration of Life in addition to the Funeral, please contact Nina at NuttyNina1@gmail.com for details. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of Wade D. Entzminger.
Service Information:
Venue for Service: BAY PINES NATIONAL CEMETERY
Address for Service: 10000 BAY PINES BLVD., ST PETERSBURG, FL 33708
Phone number attendees can reach out to for service: 813-817-9786
Pick one service type: Funeral Service
Service Date: 2023-04-07
Service Start Time: 11:00 AM