Wade Moffatt
September 15, 1967 to August 20, 2015
As published in the August 31, 2015 World-Spectator
Wade was born in Moosomin on September 15, 1967, the third of four sons, to Sandy and Ivan Moffatt.
He was a child of spirit and joy; lively, vibrant, loving and energetic. Everyone knew Wade, he was irresistible from the start.
His family nurtured this energy through music and sport-he could play the piano, trumpet and drums, and had a passion for hockey (Go Bruins!).
But his true love was nature. Wade absolutely loved to be outdoors. His best times were at Moos-omin Lake, swimming, climbing, exploring.
He never lost this-Wade could see more on a run outside, he would return joyful, exhausted, exhilarated. As an adult he played rec hockey but his real passion emerged in 2003 when he started running and training for marathons.
While he was well, Wade ran competitively in a dozen marathons. He raised money for charity by running 24 hours straight, was recognized at a provincial level, and completed the Boston Marathon.
He had a desire to launch into triathlon training, and even at the end used this desire to fight against his illness, buying a racing bike and reconnecting with friends from his marathon training days.
Wade loved family. He became a father young, and embraced his son and parenthood in the same way.
The arrival of his daughter four years later compounded this joy. He was always quick to climb onto the floor with his children to play "Mack and Joe," and I think was one of the first dads to let his little girl paint his nails or do his hair.
Watching Wade with his children was true joy. I am so grateful for the memories we have-road trips to hockey games and concerts, camping trips, "Camp night."
His kids literally climbed him when he came home from work, and no matter how tired he was, he would fall to the floor and join them in whatever they were doing.
Wade started at CFQC-TV in Saskatoon in 1991 working part time after completing the Broadcasting-Radio and Television program in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
He was so proud to work in TV, working nights and learning every aspect of his job to perfection.
He worked his way up through the ranks, learning virtually every behind-the-scenes role, and took up shooting and editing video on the side.
When he had the opportunity to write and produce commercials he jumped at it. It was his first experience working with clients and Wade was exceptional. His love for people and eye for art made the perfect combination.
His commercials won awards, and he was soon promoted to Manager of Creative Services. The work he did there was again recognized as he proved his ability to lead and mentor, and he was asked to move to CKCK-TV in Regina, and take the Creative Services Manager role there in 1997.
As television grew and changed in our province, so did Wade’s talents. He always wanted to try new things, and moved into Sales Manager only a few short years after coming to Regina.
Sales was new to Wade, but working with people was not. His drive and passion for the industry and his creative talent made such a dynamic combination.
Wade began getting involved in the community, supporting Opera Sask-atchewan, the Sandra Sch-mirler Charity Golf Tournament and many other organizations.
His team excelled, and Wade soon took over as Provincial Sales Manager. He began to travel a lot, and in hindsight, the first signs of his illness were beginning to show.
He would stay awake for days, then collapse in exhaustion. We encouraged him to slow down a bit. Slow was not a word in Wade’s vocabulary! Wade was all or nothing-he never gave less than the very best he had.
Still, he had ambition and in 2006 enrolled in the Executive MBA program at the University of Regina.
For two years he went to school full time while working, but most people never realized that this new academic world drew out an unknown challenge-Wade had a severe reading disability. He could recall and discuss anything read to him, but reading the material himself required a half-dozen re-reads to achieve basic comprehension.
And so he and his wife worked together. She read, he talked, typed, and took notes. Every word processed took two sets of eyes, but he did not falter. He took on this great challenge, determined to prove that he could achieve it.
His convocation was one of the great moments of his life, but it did take a toll. Working and travelling so much, on the heels of losing his beloved mother, triggered a new part to his illness.
Wade moved to the VP/GM Saskatchewan role at CTV/BellMedia in 2010. BellMedia launched Morning shows in Saskatchewan, and Wade worked tirelessly to bring this new format to the viewers.
He was also heavily involved in community work including Globe Theater, Habitat for Humanity, and the Canadian Red Cross.
In 2012 Wade received the Queen Elizebeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for Leadership and Contributions in his Community, an award that he was immensely proud of!
By now, however, his illness was working at him full time, and his efforts to conceal the toll it was taking were weakening. By the time Wade left CTV in 2012 he was truly ill.
He took almost a year off, trying to rest, recuperate, get healthy and rebuild his family. He bought the Postcard Portables Regina franchise in July 2013 and threw himself into this new business the same way he did all other things in his life, and for a while we thought he may have turned a corner.
He tried to start running again, reconnecting to old friends. But darkness always followed him, and Wade began to slip away.
His son came to run the business in the summer of 2014, and family members spent the last months of his life rallying around him, trying to help him access the support he needed.
Wade believed, as did we all, that long-term treatment was the answer, but this was not available, and as he cycled through short term voluntary treatment options, his depression deepened.
We could not shine our light bright enough to chase away his darkness, and Wade succumbed to his illness on August 20, 2015.
Wade was predeceased by his mother Sandy in 2005.
He leaves to mourn his wife Tami, son Kyle and his family Danelle and Bailey, and Daughter Hillary and her family Adally and Octavia. He also leaves a grieving father, Ivan and three loving brothers-Scott and his family, Debbie, Kate, Sara, Noah and Grace of Prince George, B.C.; Shawn and his family Charlene, Eric, Ashley and Kailey of Allen, Texas; and Ryan and his family Kyla, Taryn, Nick and Carys of Weyburn, Sask. Wade had an incredible loving extended family-his Aunt Sherry and Uncle Gary and Uncle Doug and Aunt Diane were always only a phone call away. His friendships were many-Ross, George, Ron, Ted, Lorne, Dave, Brian, Tom and so many more.
Everyone who knew Wade could see his light. But all of our light together was not enough to illuminate the dark around him. Our wish now is for your peace, and that you can now feel the love we all had for you. Rest gently sweet Wade.
The funeral took place Friday, August 28 at the Regina Funeral Home in Regina. Donations would be gratefully accepted on Wade’s behalf to Canadian Mental Health Association, Bell Let’s Talk, and/or Pine Lodge Rehabilitation Center.
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