Joanne Wise Obituary

Joanne Wise (née Jacobs) died peacefully on Monday, August 15, 2016 in Phoenix, AZ, at the age of 78. Joanne is survived by her children, Julie Ann Wise of San Francisco, CA, and John Robert Wise of Phoenix, AZ; her grandson, Max Robert Wise Willig; son-in-laws Jason Willig and Jason Bradshaw; and siblings, Judy Gallizzi of St. Petersburg, FL, and Bob (Butch) Jacobs of Overland Park, KS. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lawrence (Larry) Eugene Wise, mother Janice Labhart Jacobs and father Robert Granville Jacobs of Shawnee Mission, KS. Joanne was born on June 23, 1938 in Los Angeles, CA. She graduated from Shawnee Mission High School in 1956, attended Kansas State University where she was a member of Tri Delta sorority, and graduated from Kansas University with a BA in English along with teaching certification. She married Larry in 1964 and they settled in Lawrence, KS. The couple had two children, Julie in 1966 and John in 1971. Joanne is remembered as generous, fiercely independent, down-to-earth, and intellectually curious. She was a caring Nana to Max whom she loved deeply and supported in his personal pursuits including radio-controlled planes, a passion shared with her late husband, Larry. Joanne was an avid traveler and visited over forty countries. She loved good food and drink and shared many exceptional meals with her friends and family, whom she loved and valued above all and by whom she will be greatly missed. She had a true appreciation of good literature, cinema, and theater, and was a strong supporter of the arts. She was a generous individual who volunteered countless hours with organizations including Meals On Wheels and Seattle Central Community College, and as art docent, tutor, and mentor. A celebration of life and private memorial will be held in the spring in Lawrence, KS. Memorial contributions may be made to Lawrence Meals On Wheels at www.lawrencemow.org or Hospice of the Valley (Phoenix) at www.hov.org. The family would like to thank the caregivers at Constant Care Assisted Living and Hospice of the Valley for their wonderful care and dedication. "I wanted to walk straight on through the red grass and over the edge of the world, which could not be very far away. The light and air about me told me that the world ended here: only the ground and sun and sky were left, and if one went a little farther there would only be sun and sky, and one would float off into them, like the tawny hawks which sailed over our heads making slow shadows on the grass." - Willa Cather, My Ántonia