William Wise

William Brooks Wise, age 79, of Chestertown, MD died on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Baltimore, MD. He was the son of the late, Edward Brooks and Vera Cordrey Wise. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Joan Hall Wise; his daughter, Wendy Hammond Wise of Nashville, TN; a sister, Diana W. Landergren of Baltimore and his sister-in-law, Elizabeth S. Wise of Towson; nephews and nieces, David R. Wise of San Francisco, CA, Timothy B. Wise of Santa Fe, NM, Regina Hamilton of Concord, NH, and Lisa Finnegan of Westminster, MD. He was predeceased by his brother, E. Ross Wise. Bill was born in Baltimore, MD on December 24, 1930 and attended Forest Park High School and Baltimore Junior College. He enlisted in the US Army in September of 1950. He served in Korea during the Korean Conflict from 1951-1952 and retired stateside to Fort McPherson, GA where he served as a military policeman. In Korea he was awarded the combat infantry badge and the Korean Service Medal with two bronze stars. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from George Washington University in 1957, a Master of Language Arts from San Francisco State College in 1960, and a Maters of Social Work from University of Maryland School of Social Work in 1965. After college, he worked in the Welfare Department of Baltimore City where he met his wife, Joan, whom he married in 1959. They moved to Chestertown in 1960. He worked as a caseworker in Kent County and later became Director of Queen Anne’s County Social Service where he worked until his retirement in 1993. He was a 25-year grateful member of Alcoholics Anonymous and a longtime Chester Tester for the Chester River Association. He served on the board of Kent Youth, was a member of Alano Club and the Mid-Shore Council for Family Violence, among other social service-oriented agencies. His hobbies included boating on the Chester River, sailing, growing roses, building model ships and reading. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 4 at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Chestertown, MD. Interment will be private. Rev. Dan Gross will officiate. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations be made to the charity of your choice.

William Wise

December 24, 1930 - November 16, 2010