Page 2 - 5-15-15 Friday's Edition

Features
Wife Of Accident Victim
Family Mourns Loss Of Child Killed In Accident
Deals With Double Tragedy
Donald Gilley said his daughter, Desiree was the sun in his life. Being his only child, he enjoyed and treas- ured every moment he spent with her.
On Saturday night, De- siree was in a car with her mother, Lakena L. James, a cousin, and a couple of friends. James was driving north on 56th Street and moved to turn west at River- hills Drive. At the same time, Jeffrey Lamar Wade, 50, was heading south on 56th Street in a truck.
Wade’s truck collided with the Maxima driven by James. He was ejected from the truck, and Desiree was ejected from the vehicle she was riding in.
Wade was pronounced dead at the scene. Desiree was transported to a local hospital, where it was later determined she was brain dead. After a few anxious mo- ments, her family decided to take her off life support. She was just 7 years old.
Donald said they were on their way home at the time of the crash.
“We spent time together last Friday, and she did her little dance for me. She called me last Wednesday to wish me a happy birthday. Who would have known three days later she’d be gone.”
Desiree had just com- pleted her first year at Lewis Elementary School, and was looking forward to spending time with all of her relatives during the summer.
Donald said Desiree didn’t have a pain-free life growing up.
She suffered from a dis- ability that affected her hips and made it difficult for her to walk.
In a tragic accident Sat- urday in Temple Terrace, a 7-year-old girl and a 50- year-old man were killed, and others suffered injuries.
The child, Desiree Gilley, was pronounced dead at a local hospital after her family agreed to take her off life support.
The man, Jeffrey Lamar Wade, was pro- nounced dead at the scene. The crash caused him and Desiree to be ejected from their respective vehicles.
Wade’s wife, Brenda, said as far as she’s con- cerned, two families suffered a tragedy that night.
“The family of that child lost someone very dear and near to them, and the same can be said of my husband’s family.”
Jeffrey Wade grew up in Highland Pines, and with his 6’3” frame, was a pretty good baseball and football player. He and Brenda met in 1993.
“I was an instructor with
JEFFREY LAMAR WADE
the Head Start program on the campus of the University of South Florida, and he’D come in to clean my room. Five years later, we were married.
“He hadn’t worked for the past five years because of chronic back problems.”
Mrs. Wade said Jef- frey called her his “Boo,” and they spent a lot of time together.
“His nickname was “Big Show,” and he loved sports, especially football.
“Jeffrey loved food, and
loved to eat. I did all the cooking, and all he had to do was to say what he wanted.”
Mrs. Wade said on June 16th, her husband was planning on going to a David Mann concert with her.
“Jeffrey was a loving son, husband, father and grandfather. This incident has devastated our family as well as Desiree’s family. Out sympathy goes out to them and I pray God touches the hearts of all involved and that He continues to heal the wounds of both families.
“I’m going to continue to trust God through it all.”
Jeffrey Wade has two sisters, and he and Brenda have four children. He also has a host of grandchildren.
“It hurts a lot because he was only a couple of blocks from home when the acci- dent occurred,” said Mrs. Wade.
Aiken’s Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
DESIREE GILLEY
“When she was a toddler, she went through hours of physical therapy and pain to learn to do what comes easier for most children. By the time she turned 5, she had con- quered her disability.
“Desiree loved dancing, singing, professional wrestling, and believe it or not, fishing. She was a true angel and made everyone around her happy. I guess in the end God wanted her more than I did.”
James and the other three children all suffered in- juries in the crash. James sustained a broken arm and leg, and the other children suffered from an assortment of cuts.
Donald said he was in- volved in an accident in 2013 that he’s still recovering from.
“Before Desiree passed away, I had been trying to get joint custody. I would have gained that in two months, but it shouldn’t have taken this long. It’s a shame the way the court system treats fa- thers. It hurts that I did all this to get my baby back, only to have her taken away in an accident.”
Ray Williams Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements at this time.
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015