Speicial to The Enterprise

Mary Caldeira Wade, 94 years, of Mercedes, TX passed peacefully at home on September 2, 2022.  Mary was born in Trinidad, British West Indies on July 24, 1928, as the first of four children to her parents Nora McSweeney Caldeira of Ireland and Dr. Anthony Dias Caldeira of Trinidad. Mary and her family moved to Mercedes when she was 8 years old. She graduated in 1950 from The University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.  On August 21, 1950, she entered into marriage and a life partnership of 66 years with John Riley “J.R.” Wade at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Mercedes.  Mary and J.R. raised their eight children in Mercedes.  For over 20 years, she worked as a school teacher at Mercedes Junior High School teaching home economics and special education.

 Mary and J.R. expressed their faith as faith in action, living the gospel through service to those most in need. For many years, Mary and J.R. took Holy Communion to the sick and homebound. Mary and J.R. coordinated and made food for countless funeral receptions, and Mary served on the board of the Ebony Grove Cemetery. For over 30 years, along with Sister Maureen, Mary and J.R. led a missionary effort in kinship with the people of Canales, Mexico. Over the years, so many Valley residents, winter tourists, and Indiana residents made this possible. In collaboration, they constructed over 150 homes in Mexico; raised funds to provide scholarships for education, uniforms, and school supplies; and gathered and distributed donations of clothing, household items, and food. More recently, their son Jerry has taken a leadership role to sustain the effort, and they will continue building homes in Mexico with the group from St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Indiana.    

 In any size crowd, Mary could be found by her extraordinary laugh.  She will live forever in her countless blessings: her deep love for her husband J.R., the family they created, her many friends, her love of people, her tenacious care for others, her divine joy, and her deep faith. Over the years, Mary took inspiration from the words of Mother Teresa. May we take inspiration from Mary’s life, perhaps best summed up with words from Mother Teresa: “Do small things with great love.”

 Mary was preceded in death by her husband J.R., her son John Riley Wade, Jr., and her grandson Joe Brooks White II.  She is survived by her children Jimmy (Sue), Marian (Chuck), Jerry (Jessie), Margaret (Ike), Julie (François), Joe (Pauline), and Jay (Cindy); 22 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.

 The family thanks Father Amador Garza of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Progreso for his divine faith, love, guidance, and care; Inocencia Trevino and Yolanda Rivera for their dear friendship with and loving care for Mary; and the loving and caring people from DHR Home Hospice.

 Visitation begins at 5:00 pm on Thursday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Mercedes, followed by rosary and exequial at 7:00 pm. Funeral Mass will take place at Sacred Heart Church at 10 am on Friday. Interment will follow at Ebony Grove Cemetery under the care of Garcia & Trevino Funeral Home of Mercedes, TX.  After the interment, there will be a reception at Sacred Heart Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the mission efforts in Mexico: St. Patrick’s Mexico Mission, 504 South Michigan Street, Oxford, Indiana 47971, with a note in honor of Mary Wade.

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