Mr. Cade Edward Willis, Jr.
August 20, 1946 – May 29, 2017

Cade Edward Willis Jr., a local businessman and Kingdom-builder, and resident of Griffin, GA died unexpectedly on May 29, 2017 at the age of 70 due to complications with a rare form of dementia. He went peacefully surrounded by his family.

Cade is survived by his wife of 40 years, Teresa; his three children, Cathy, Christy and Timothy; siblings, Judi Cecil, James Willis and Kim Willis, and beloved nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, Ed and Charlotte Willis.

Cade was born in Griffin, GA on August 20, 1946 as the 6th generation of the Willis family born in Griffin. He attended Third Ward Elementary School, and was a graduate of Griffin High School, Gordon Military College, and Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Science. It was during his time at GSU that he dedicated his life to the Lord, and became active in the Baptist Student Union. As a young adult he served in the Georgia National Guard, and began his career at the family business, Willis Oil Company, where he worked for 30 years. Faith continued to be an important part of his life. He traveled to the Holy Land, where he was baptized in the Jordan River and also began teaching Sunday School at First Baptist Church of Griffin, GA. It was in his singles Sunday School class where he met his wife Teresa.

Cade and Teresa were married on June 27, 1976. He was a devoted husband, who ensured his wife never had a dull moment. He provided not only for his family’s physical needs, but also gave spiritual guidance. He was a loving and supporting father and took pride in seeing his children succeed as individuals. His extended family and in-laws were very important to him as well. He became a genealogy enthusiast, enjoyed planning family reunions, and researching family ancestry.

He was an active member of the community serving in the Kiwanis Club of Griffin, the Griffin Chamber of Commerce, the Spalding Collaborative, Lifesong Ministries, Haggai Institute International Board of Trustees, Fellowship of Companies for Christ International, and Baylor Angel Network. He also proudly served as a deacon at First Baptist Church of Griffin, GA. He valued his childhood and high school friendships, and enjoyed planning reunions, including his most recent 50th high school reunion.

In 1998 he took an around the world trip with Haggai Institute that gave him a vision for global missions.

It was in 2001 that Cade moved with his immediate family and niece Adriane to Singapore, where they lived for five years. He felt the Lord calling him to Singapore to spend more time focusing on international missions and to provide his family with a unique experience. He joined International Baptist Church Singapore, and formed many lifelong friendships. While in Asia, he volunteered with many different mission groups, and traveled extensively to connect with local leaders. He was very proud to have his children graduate from school in Singapore.

In 2006, he returned to Griffin and used the experience he had gained to focus on local ministry and churches. He loved visiting new churches, and attended services at more than 100 Spalding County churches during the last decade of his life. He had a vision to see local churches working together to help those in need. He was very involved at East Griffin Baptist Church, Rushton’s Hope, and many other ministries that he treasured.

Cade also had a unique personality, sense of humor, and adventurous spirit. As a boy he developed a love for hunting, fishing, camping, riding horses, and stirring up mischief around the family farm. He enjoyed playing golf and tennis, taking flight lessons, practicing his photography skills, and mastering the art of the practical joke. As an adult, he developed a love for travel, and visited close to 40 countries. He was very generous with his time and earthly possessions, and enjoyed sharing with others. He particularly enjoyed gifting copies of meaningful books. For decades, he looked forward to his daily Bible devotions, even when he became unable to read them on his own. Cade was a connector of people from business to ministry to friendship. He never met a stranger or a person he didn’t like.

Cade Willis was a dreamer, and never stopped thinking about how he could make the world a better place.

Funeral services for Mr. Cade Edward Willis, Jr. will be held on Friday, June 2, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church in Griffin. Interment will follow at Rehoboth Baptist Church cemetery. Friends may visit the family on Thursday evening from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to Rushton's Hope, PO Box 1944, Griffin, GA 30224; and John's Place Adult Day Care at Barnesville First United Methodist Church, 375 Thomaston Street, Barnesville, GA 30204 (checks can be made payable to Barnesville First United Methodist Church with a memo "John's Place", or can be made online at http://www.barnesvillefumc.org).

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