GAUD? -- Blase Patrick Gaude, 44, of Oakton, VA and Albuquerque, NM died Sunday, January 1, 2006, in Snellville, GA. Funeral Services were held in Natchez, MS at St. Mary Basilica with a burial at City Cemetery. Gaude was born July 28, 1961 in Ft. Walton Beach, FL, the son of Henry Ronald and Roseminette Middleton Gaude. He met his wife, Patricia, in Albuquerque and they later married in Natchez, MS in 1996. They have a son, Nathan, born in 2000. In 1978, while playing in the first football game of his senior year at Cathedral High, Blase sustained a devastating spinal cord injury. He became a quadriplegic confined to a wheel chair, but continued to move forward in his educational and life pursuits. He came back to graduate with his class and then entered Copiah Lincoln Community Junior College the following fall. He completed his education at Mississippi State University, where he graduated summa cum laude, earning a BS and MS in the dual disciplines of Computer Science and Computer Engineering. For the past 19 years, Blase was employed by Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM. He was also an advocate for the disabled. With the help of family and friends, Blase pursued many challenging activities. He skied, bungee jumped, participated in Run for the Zoo, went to the shooting range, and developed a specially configured mechanism that allowed him to hunt. His passion for hunting paid off as he bagged a deer near his home town several days before his death. Blase also developed a passion for cooking and for years, he raised honeybees. Blase's positive attitude and zest for life changed the lives of so many people whether they knew him for a few minutes or many years. Blase was a great story teller and now will live on in the memories and stories people will be sharing for years. He is survived by his life partner and wife of nine years, Patricia; their son, Nathan; his parents, Ron and Roseminette Gaude; one sister, Chere Lynn and Roy Johnson, their son, Benjamin; and three brothers, David and Ann Gaude, sons, Blase Edward and Brent; Lance and Tracy Gaude, daughters, Allie and Olivia; and son, Lance Jr.; Kurt and Danielle Gaude, and sons, Gray and Ian; his aunt, Daisy Watson; and many friends. A Celebration of Life is planned in Albuquerque on Saturday, January 28, 2006 from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. at the home of Paul and Debbie Faculjak, 7620 Venice Ave. NE, 87122, 505.823.9686.