It is with great sadness that the Ohio Farmers Union family said goodbye this week to Joyce Wise, a long-term active member and mother of our immediate past president, Roger Wise.
The Toledo Blade had a nice article about Joyce’s life and activism in local and state politics which you can read here. Below you’ll find Joyce’s obituary from The News-Messenger in Fremont. A memorial service will be held April 5 at at 11:00 am at Trinity United Methodist Church, 204 Wayne Street, Fremont, Ohio.
Joyce Louise (Sherer) Wise
FREMONT: Joyce Louise (Sherer) Wise, 84, died March 18, 2014. She was born May 17, 1929, in Fremont and was the daughter of Garnet and Mary Ruth (Jacobs) Sherer. Joyce graduated from Jackson Burgoon School and married Charles Edwin Wise, a Sandusky County farmer, in 1948.
Joyce was an active member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Fremont and part of the church bell choir. She loved music and was a talented pianist as well as an avid bridge player. As a lifelong devoted Democrat on both local and national levels, she held several positions including 5th Congressional District Committee Woman, member of the Ohio Democratic State Federation of Women, member of the State Democratic Executive Committee, and president of the local Sandusky County Democratic Women’s Group. She received the Helbert Award and was honored as the Sandusky County Democrat of the Year in 2003. Joyce was a member of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and enthusiastically supported women’s rights. She was also a dedicated volunteer for the American Red Cross and a member of the National and Ohio Farmers Union. Other interests included travel, reading, and family. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren were her pride and joy.
Joyce will be remembered for her boundless energy and upbeat personality. Words cannot express how much she will be missed by all who were fortunate enough to have known this extraordinary woman.
Joyce is survived by two brothers, George Sherer (Janice), Malta, Carl Sherer, Green Springs; her four children, Roger Wise (Sandra), Fremont, Kay Polk (Jim), Atlanta, Georgia, Kerry Barth (Tom) Bellevue, and Matt Wise, Toledo; and her five grandchildren, Erin Dixon Palmer (Ian), Atlanta, Georgia, Natalie Wise Muccio (Nick), Columbus, Greg Barth, Bellevue, Nadine Wise Holbrook (Matt), Worthington, and Stefanie Rusin (Peter), Antioch, Illinois; and three great grandchildren, Charlotte Kay Dixon, Benjamin Rusin, and Luca Muccio. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles.
A celebration of life will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, April 5, 2014, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 204 Wayne Street, Fremont, Ohio.
Donations in Joyce’s honor can be made to the Fremont Birchard Library, 423 Croghan Street, Fremont, Ohio, or the Sandusky County Historical Society, 514 Birchard Avenue, Fremont, Ohio. Online condolences may be expressed at www.kokm.net
