Loretta was born as Mary Loretta Elizabeth Walsh, the second eldest in six children; (Helen, Richard, Catherine, Evelyn and Margaret,) born to Richard William Walsh, (son of William Walsh and Ellen Reed), and Ida Margaret O'Shay. Her father was born in Iowa, her mother in Missouri and all the children in Harper's Ferry, Allamakee Co. Iowa. After her father died in 1928 the mother packed up the six children and moved to the Puyallup-Sumner area of Washington State where Loretta's grandmother, (Catherine E. Hosey), grandfather, (William H. O'Shay) and two aunts lived.
Loretta graduated from Puyallup High School in 1937. She married Charles (Chuck) Wade on Dec. 17, 1938 in Puyallup. While in the area they had three children, James, Sandra and Richard. They worked hard. Loretta and Chuck raised raspberries and beans for nearby canneries. Loretta worked as a supervisor in the berry fields and also drove to pickup pickers from Tacoma-Puyallup area. In the winter she supervised fleshing of mink hides that were made into mink coats. The family's recreational activities included; hunting, camping, fishing, and card-playing.
Around 1956 they moved from the Valley to the Graham area. Chuck, who had worked as a semi-truck driver, started a job as a school bus driver. In 1963, Loretta and Chuck divorced and he moved to Oregon. Loretta continued to be the center of the family. She was a wonderful homemaker with a specialty of Fudge making at Christmas time. Her sisters and their families got together for Holidays and potlucks. Her sisters continued to meet weekly together and talked daily. She was an avid reader and cross-word puzzle worker. She and her sisters played Triple Yahtzee and on Friday nights they played pinochle with her daughter and friends.
She died at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup from congestive heart failure. Her remains were cremated and placed on her mother's grave.