GUILDERLAND — John “Jack” Hauf Gade Jr., a farmer and entrepreneur, owner of the Gade Farm in Guilderland, died Friday, April 17, 2015, in Ellis Hospital after a long battle to recover following a stroke. He was 85.

“Jack made his living with his powerful hands, his ingenuity and vision for the farm business, and his physical strength,” his family wrote in a tribute. “He loved his family and the farm, and the two were inextricably linked throughout his lifetime.”

He was born Jan. 3, 1930, the son of John Gade Sr. and Elizabeth Thornhill Gade. Raised on the farm, he lived his entire life within a few miles of it. He was the third generation of Gades to run the farm business, overseeing its transition to a retail farm market and nursery on the family homestead on Western Avenue.

Mr. Gade was a graduate of Cobleskill College and Milne High School.

A lifelong member of the Hamilton Union Presbyterian Church in Guilderland, Mr. Gade served as a church deacon.

He was on the board of directors of the Capital District Farmers Market in Menands for 47 years, and the board president from 1987 to 2002. The regional market, owned by local farmers as a cooperative to sell their produce, was started in the 1930s.

Among the market’s founders was Mr. Gade’s father, John Sr., who was on the original board of directors. “Jack’s tenure of leadership in the market reflected his commitment to his father’s legacy and the success of all produce growers in the Hudson and Mohawk valleys,” his family wrote. “He was a guiding hand in the market for nearly a half-century.”

Mr. Gade served for many years on the Prospect Hill Cemetery board of directors, also a service his father had done in the mid-20th Century.

He gave back to his community, donating produce to food kitchens and supporting more than two dozen groups and organizations in the Guilderland area.

He loved baseball, and played centerfield for the Guilderland Indians, a perennial power in the Helderberg League after World War II and the 1950s. He coached little league and Babe Ruth baseball teams in the Pine Bush league in the 1960s.

As a faather and grandfather, he regularly attended baseball, football, lacrosse and softball games in which his family participated.

His extended family gathered at his home every Sunday for dinner, which was routinely followed by pinochle, a family ritual that has been passed through several generations.

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John Hauf Gade Jr. is survived by his wife, Louise (née Tants) Gade; two sisters, Greta Radley of Guilderland and Nancy Hollomon of Boston; five children, Peter Gade of Norman, Oklahoma, Susan Gade Marcucci of Altamont, and John Gade III, James Gade and Mark Gade, who continue the farm business in Guilderland.

He is also survived by son-in-law Derrick Marcucci, and daughters-in-law Susan Winters Gade, Diane (née Stahl) Gade, and Kellie (née Coup) Gade.

He had 14 grandchildren: Nicole, Sam and Jack Marcucci; Emma and Joseph Gade; Tim, Matt, Thomas, James and Caroline Gade; Mary, Molly and John Gade IV; and Jessi Coup.

A funeral service was held on Wednesday, April 22, at the Hamilton Union Presbyterian Church,  in Guilderland. Arrangements were by DeMarco-Stone Funeral Home in Guilderland.

Memorial contributions may be made to Sunnyview Hospital Foundation, 1270 Belmont Ave., Schenectady, NY, 12308.