Life.
April 11, 1980
Josh Newton Wadlington was born at Parma Community General Hospital on April 11, 1980 @ 8:29pm. As a baby and toddler, Josh lived with his parents, Mark and Collette Wadlington in Akron, Ohio.
1980 - 1999
When Josh was young, his family moved to the small country town of Allendale, Michigan. At a young age, Josh found enjoyment - that carried throughout his life - in playing baseball and golf. Mark and Collette’s appreciation for music also became a large part of who Josh was. Growing up, Josh played the piano and bass. Eventually as an adult, he learned to play the guitar and mandolin. Josh’s interest in music extended to listening to all genres of music (especially in vinyl form). He will admit his favorite genre is heavy metal but he also loved bluegrass, jazz, country, rap, R&B and really every type of sound that isn’t popular music. His favorite band was Iron Maiden. His favorite artist was Jimi Hendrix.
To listen to some of Josh’s playlists visit Spotify and search for Josh’s User ID: jomalique.
March 8, 1999
After graduation from Allendale high school, Josh joined the United States Marine Corps where he served for over 4 years. He finished his service with the rank of Sergeant. Josh was stationed on Camp Kinser in Japan, Quantico in Virginia and Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. During his time, Josh made some of his closest life-long friends and had many experiences that would change his life forever. It was also in the service that Josh met his wife, Maria Christina and became a father (or more accurately, "Pops”) to Angie, his little Peach Pie.
December 28, 2002
It didn’t take long for Josh and Christina to realize they were perfect for each other. They got married on December 28, 2002 at the Amway Grand Hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They happily celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary in 2020.
May 7, 2005
In 2002, Josh left the military to attend the University of Mary Washington. On May 7, 2005, Josh graduated with a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree in Geography. With his degree, that year, Josh went to work for Dewberry. There he developed flood plain maps and supported the Costal Barrier Resource System. He also played many softball games in the company’s engineering league with the Thunder and Dudes. On these teams, Josh would find some of his closest friends.
May 6, 2012
In 2012, Josh became a Geographer for the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. At BOEM, Josh proudly created maps for our nation’s ocean wind energy program.
Josh loved maps, data and everything related to geography including social geography and economics.
October 29, 2006
Josh found his passion for running after his first marathon - the Marine Corps Marathon - in 2006. After this event, Josh would go on to race in every distance race imaginable (and unimaginable). Josh’s favorite marathon was the Boston Marathon, which he completed three times. His fastest marathon was the Potomac River Run which he ran in 2:55:35. Josh’s longest races were the C&O Canal 100 miler and the Old Dominion 100 miler. While he would never proclaim to be as “fast” as the road runners he did PR an 18:14, 5K. He never had a favorite distance but loved all races that were in the mountains.
Although running was Josh’s preferred activity, he occasionally participated in triathlons and cycling events. His favorite cycling event was the Mountain Mama Road Bike Challenge.
March 29, 2018
Josh proudly identified as a Virginian and was an avid DC sports team fan. With his family (which included puppies, Storm, Blitz and eventually Paul), from 2002 - present, Josh lived in various places around the greater DC metropolitan area including Oakton, VA.
After jumping around NOVA for years, Josh and Christina found the perfect home and settled in the Town of Herndon, VA in 2018.
The winter after moving to Herndon, Josh was diagnosed with Stage IV Colorectal Cancer. Three years later, Josh died peacefully in his home.