Mona Wise

Mona Sue Wise (Gary), age 84, of Baltimore, Ohio, passed away peacefully Friday, November 24, 2017 at the Pickering House. She was a graduate of West High School in 1948. Mona retired from the Columbus Public Health Department as a secretary. After retirement she returned to the Health Department part time to work as a registration specialist in the Tuberculosis Clinic.

In her younger years Mona loved to crochet making afghan blankets in her spare time. An avid reader of mystery novels, her favorite author was Dean Koontz. She collected light houses and angels, believing they gave her hope that there is always light in every storm. She was dedicated to her Catholic faith and enjoyed attending church at Corpus Christi Parish in Columbus, Ohio. She was a bright spirit filed with love, welcoming all to call her Grandma or Mom. She always found a way to include people into her family and shared her love and wisdom with all she met. In recent years she gained a passion for art and coloring, as well as listening to music, always tapping her feet along to the beat.

Mona is reunited in heaven with her lifetime soulmate, Ralph “Bud” Wise who she met at the age of fifteen working at the local movie theater as a popcorn girl while he was an usher boy. They fell in love instantly and spent their entire lives cherishing that love.

Mona was a beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. She loved to travel; Clear Water Beach, Florida and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina were her homes away from home. Mona’s greatest memories were made by the ocean, enjoying the sunshine, seashells, and water.

She is survived by her daughter, Karen Murphy (Mel Voll); granddaughters, Billie Wise (Stacey Mullen), and Merry Murphy (Mitchell Kauffman); and her sister, Baileen Dodd Koffel.

She is preceded in death by her mother and father, Helen and Baily Gary; daughter, Daphne Sue Chrysler; and her husband of sixty three years, Ralph Wise.

Special thanks to the amazing caregivers at Scott’s Place, the Homestead Center, and the Pickering House.

A funeral service will be held Wednesday, November 29, 2017 at 7:30 PM at the JOHNSON-SMITH FUNERAL HOME CHAPEL, 207 S. MAIN ST., BALTIMORE, OHIO 43105 with Chaplain Kermit Welty officiating. Friends and family may visit at the funeral home from 5:00 PM until the time of service on Wednesday. A private burial will take place at Basil Memorial Cemetery at a later date.