Montclair's Unofficial Adviser
Related So Well To So Many

MONTCLAIR- A true Montclair icon has made his transition to the big sky above joining other noteworthy blue-clad Mounties who have departed this world for a restful place.

Robert ‘Wade’ Amadeo, a longtime high school security guard and devoted lifelong supporter of Montclair sports, and someone who developed rich and everlasting friendships with a wide variety of students and others, died peacefully Sunday, Dec. 8, following a brief illness. He was 80.

Wade, a devoted son, brother and friend, was born April 6, 1944, in Mountainside Hospital. When he was 13, he moved with his family from Nutley to Montclair where he would spend the rest of his life forging deep and everlasting bonds with countless members of the community that he loved, and came to love him.

He graduated from Montclair High School (MHS) in 1962 where he played football and then began working security in 1972, a job he thoroughly enjoyed and remained at for 35 years.

If you wanted to know the inside story on happenings at the high school, then Wade was the man to talk to.

He had an uncanny ability to form strong relationships with students, including those who needed special attention, while earning their trust and respect.

He frequently volunteered to drive students to their homes; and - many times - he would take a detour to McDonald’s since he knew some kids otherwise might not eat that evening.

He would buy meals, jackets, pay rent, support sponsorships, and help transport kids to special outings.

He was a mentor and friend in so many ways.

“Bobby was my Little League baseball coach, and I learned so much about the game from him even before I got to high school,” said Ron Anello, a MHS sports standout and former head football coach at West Essex and Clifton and athletic director at Ramapo High School and at his high school alma mater.

"Every Saturday after a game he would take us to the Park Diner in his ‘57 Chevy where we’d have burgers and fries and then he would take us back out to Mountainside Park and he’d hit ‘em out to us for another couple of hours.

“Bobby was like a surrogate big brother who cared so much about people and he will be sorely missed. He lived a tremendous life and was just a good person!”

“Wade and I have been friends for 60 years,” said longtime friend Lenny Coleman, a 1967 MHS grad and star halfback for legendary Mounties coach Clary Anderson, and a former president of Major League Baseball's National League. “When I was a seventh grader, I went with friends to the Wellmont Theater for the double features, and we might see Wade who would come strutting down the aisle, turn and ask, ‘Hey, how are you young fellows doing?

“He had a way about him in that he was always very good to people a little younger than him, and whether he would drive us for burgers at Goody’s on Route 46 in his 1957 Ford Fairlane or blue Chevy Chevelle, or if he was coming to our practices and games, he was always fun to be around, and was always very supportive.

“And, watching a game with Wade was always an experience, whether it was his beloved Boston Celtics or the Cleveland Browns.”

His familiar nickname traces back to former Chicago Bears quarterback Billy Wade, even though his favorite NFL team in the early 1960s were the Cleveland Browns.

Former major league baseball star Dale Berra was a terrific 3-sport athlete at MHS and another who appreciated Wade’s presence in the high school.

“I liked the fact that Wade never referred to me as Yogi’s son when he talked to me in school,” said Dale. “But, he did remind me that I was Carmen Berra’s son.

“He was just terrific in the way he dealt with so many different types of kids, and he had a uncanny ability to connect with all different types of people.”

When it came to his beloved Mounties, Wade was - as nj.com reporter Matt Stanmyre described him in an article about the famous 1990 Montclair-Randolph game - ‘the football team’s unofficial adviser and the most influential man in Montclair.’

He would have lunch on a regular basis with former Mounties football coach John Fiore, and he always knew the latest news about the team.

“Wade and I were connected at the hip,” said Fiore, who guided MHS from 2010-2020, including directing the Mounties to four state playoff titles. “We would frequently have lunch together, and I also had my ‘Walks With Wade’ when I came to Montclair, and he introduced me to all the different sections in town.

“He came to our Monday night film sessions where we were all on pins and needles as he graded each member of the coaching staff, which was always a lot of fun.

“He was very close to (2011 all-state QB) Khalif Herbin, and was such an integral part of all the success we enjoyed as a team.

“He was incredibly philanthropic, buying cleats for kids, or paying for their camp sessions.

“I loved the man, and I’ll always treasure my times in Montclair with Wade!”

Wade was predeceased by his parents, Anthony Amadeo and Margaret Amadeo, nee Brownlee.

He is survived by his sister, Donna Carnevale, and her husband Ray Carnevale, brother Ralph and his wife Jennifer, his brother Joseph, his longtime companion, Arlene Kelly, and longtime family friend Kim Ford.

There will be a special gathering to celebrate a great life with the friends of Wade Amadeo on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, from 2-5 p.m. in the Fuzzy Furlong Fieldhouse at the Woodman Field complex.