Lyonel “Cotton” Wade, 95, of Iuka, Mississippi, died on Sunday, May 12, 2024, at Magnolia Regional Health Center in Corinth. Cotton was born at home to Hester and Oren Wade on March 30, 1929. He graduated from Holcut High School in 1948 as class salutatorian and “Most Athletic”. Throughout the years, he had been a jack-of-all-trades. He was a farmer, an independent truck driver, and the 1st District Supervisor in Iuka for many years. In his younger years, Cotton worked at the Iuka Shoe Factory, and most recently, he worked for the Bonds Company before retirement. He had been a dedicated member of Iuka Church of Christ since 1956 and had not missed a Sunday service for 68 years until COVID. In his free time, Cotton enjoyed working outside on his lawn and traveling to auctions and going antiquing with his wife. He was a family man through and through, and his son and grandchildren were the pride and joy of his life. Cotton is survived by his beloved wife of over 74 years, Maxine Wade; his son, Mike Wade (Linda); his grandchildren, Brad Wade, Robyn Wade-Alvarez (Nico), and Kassie Wade; his siblings, Vonceil Enlow and Mackey Wade (Margaret); his sisters-in-law, Joan Wade, Beth Wade, and Mae Sims; and a host of other family members and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Hester and Oren Wade; his siblings, Doyle Wade (Lottie), Jim Wade (Charlene), Myra Wade Underwood (David), Harold Dean Wade, and Hoyt Wade; and his brothers-in-law, Jack Sims and Lamar Umfress (Ollie). Cutshall Funeral Home in Iuka, MS, is entrusted with the arrangements. Visitation is scheduled from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, 2024, at the Iuka Church of Christ. Funeral services will follow at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, 2024, at the Iuka Church of Christ, officiated by Lance Foster and Haskell Sparks. Interment will be in New Lebanon Cemetery. Memorials may be made in Cotton’s honor to the charity of donor’s choice.
