Nancy Susan Wise

A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial for Nancy Susan Wise, 82 of Jefferson, Texas will be held on Saturday August 26, 2023, at 11am in The Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Jefferson, Texas with Rev. Msgr. Zach Kunnakkattuthara officiating and under the direction of Haggard Funeral Home. A Rosary will be held Friday August 25, 2023, at 6-6:30 pm with a time of visitation following until 8pm in the Cpt. Wm. Perry Chapel of Haggard Funeral Home.

Ms. Wise was born June 9, 1941, in New Orleans, Louisiana to Charles Johnson Wise, MD and Katherine Ramsay Wise and passed away on August 16, 2023.

Susan grew up in Jefferson, both parents’ home town, and attended all twelve years of school here. She was active in Camp Fire Girls and 4-H, winning recognition in public speaking events and recognized as Gold Star Girl. After high school graduation she chose to attend a private women’s college, her beloved St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, near Terre Haute, Indiana, graduating in 1963. While there, she discovered her love of live theatre and finished her senior year as one of only three senior recitalists. With the recommendation and encouragement of her department head, she was tapped for a summer stock run at Lake Ozark, Missouri. After college, she attended the University of North Texas where she earned her Master’s Degree in Theatre. From UNT she was recruited to teach in the Odessa, Texas, public school system. For Ector County ISD, Susan taught high school theatre and speech, initiated creative dramatics programs in several elementary schools, and spearheaded a speakers’ bureau for administration. Soon she was performing with the local community theatre where she was then tapped to teach theatre arts after school, which led to her becoming a full-time Associate Director of the Permian Playhouse of Odessa, and director of the Theatre School. In addition, she appeared in numerous performances at PPH, from Children’s romps to Greek tragedy, winning accolades for her stage work. Susan returned home to Jefferson and taught four years here before being recruited to teach theatre arts in the Marshall ISD, where her students won numerous awards for performing on local, district and state levels. While teaching in Marshall, she was active with Shreveport Little Theatre, Gas Light Players, Barn Dinner Theatre, and Marjorie Lyons Theatre, all in Shreveport, and with the Perot Theatre in Texarkana, and a did a summer of Repertory Theatre at UNT on scholarship. After eighteen years at Marshall High School, she retired from teaching but was soon employed at the Marshall Public Library, rediscovering an old interest. Soon after, the City of Marshall funded her studies for a Master of Science in Information Studies from UNT so that the library could be fully accredited. Shortly after, she was recruited by the Shreve Memorial Library to the Acquisitions Department where she enjoyed selecting and purchasing children’s books, digital books, music and movies. Her library work coincided with the inheritance of the family home on historic Houston Street which she continued to run as a bed & breakfast until age and mobility forced her to close at the end of 2018. Susan loved travel with her beloved mother and Permian Playhouse friends. She was an avid reader and belonged to two book clubs. She also enjoyed researching her family genealogy following the footsteps of her mother.

She is preceded in death by her parents; sister, Mary Margaret Harvey; brother, Richard Wise.

Those left to cherish her memory are her brothers, Doug Wise and wife Nora, Tom Wise and wife Jan, and Tim Wise and wife Anja; sister, Betty Grames and husband Frank; nieces, Anni Wise Noble and husband Wolf, Renee’ Harvey, and Vicki Dillard and husband Dennis; nephew, Nick Wise; great niece, Kelley King and husband Jacob. She is also survived by numerous extended family, friends, and many beloved cousins.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to The Immaculate Conception Catholic Church located at 201 N Vale St, Jefferson, TX 75657.  https://www.givecentral.org/location/848

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