George Glendon Wise Died on October 1, 2012. He was born August 6, 1926, in Hempstead County Arkansas, in the town of Hope, the watermelon capital of the world. His parents were George Henry Wise and Florence Ellen Wise (née Mouser). His grandfather, John Francis Wise, was a blacksmith and farrier for the Confederacy, and his great uncle fought for the Union. He is the youngest of ten siblings and his family were sharecroppers, farming cotton in Arkansas and Louisiana. Over many years, George was the organizer of large and joyful family reunions, most often in Hope, at the Oak Grove United Methodist Church, where his parents first met. He was also the author of a Wise family cookbook called, Just like Mama's, full of special stories, photos and recipes. George attended Henderson State College in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in Dallas. It was at SMU that he met and married his wife, Anne Stayer Wise, after a six-month courtship. In college and after, he pursued his dream of playing professional baseball and earned a spot as catcher with the Shreveport Captains, a Chicago White Sox minor league team. After receiving his juris doctorate, he had a long and successful career as an attorney, first in Dallas, where he was a member of John F. Kennedy's speaking team. He, Anne and their two daughters then moved to El Paso, where he worked in the office of general counsel for El Paso Natural Gas Company. Because of his lifelong love of education, he served as night principal at El Paso's Lydia Patterson Institute, and taught all subjects, including his favorite, American history. Throughout his life, he was an avid athlete and sports fan, and a frequent attendee at University of Texas at El Paso Miners' basketball games. Having lived in El Paso with his family since 1966, he considered it his adopted hometown. He had a diverse array of friends whom he loved dearly, and he gave generously of his time and energy to his beloved El Paso community. He was preceded in death by his parents and six siblings Bea Harden, Johnnie Jewel, Lilburn, Egbert, Gilbert and Wilma. He is survived by Anne, his wife of 56 years; daughter Lois Elizabeth "Lolo" Wise, M.D. and husband Kris Kist, of Key Biscayne, Florida; daughter Mary Frances "Babe" Meyer, husband Jeff Meyer, and cherished granddaughters Meredith Anne and Natalie Elise, of Raleigh, North Carolina; sister Winfred Conway of Salinas California; and brother Wilace Wise and wife Connie of Shreveport, Louisiana; sister Mildred Wallace of Shreveport, Louisiana; and many nieces and nephews. He also leaves behind a wealth of great friends and neighbors. Memorial service is at 3 p.m., Saturday, October 6, at Unitarian Universalist Community of El Paso, 4425 Byron Street, El Paso, Texas, 79930, and is open to all. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Assistance League of El Paso, P.O. Box 3735, El Paso, Texas, 79923, or online at http://elpaso.assistanceleague.org/dcontact.cfm.

Published by El Paso Times from Oct. 4 to Oct. 13, 2012.