Linda Jean Wise, age 86, of Gloucester County, passed away at her home on July 27, 2024. Linda was born on November 15, 1937 in Des Moines, Iowa, to the late Alene and Raymond Thompson. After her parents divorced, she spent much of her childhood on an Iowa farm with her grandparents. Linda later moved to Miami, Florida, to live with her father and stepmother, Martelle Thompson; stepbrother, James Shiver, and stepsister, Mary (LaWanna) Harpel. She married her first husband and had a daughter, Cynthia Jean Richardson (Watkins), in 1958. She married Martice Edgar Wise in 1961, a sailor in the U.S. Navy and later a civilian contractor to the USAF. They relocated several times over the years and had a son, Martice Edgar Wise Jr., in 1962 in Key West, Florida, and her second daughter, Sandra Joell Wise, in 1966 in Brunswick, Georgia. They moved to San Pedro, California; Rolling Hills Estates, California; Anchorage, Alaska; Nome, Alaska; San Antonio, Texas; Bulverde, Texas, and Merritt Island, Florida. Linda and Martice divorced around 1981 and she moved to Melbourne, Florida, then Washington, D.C., in pursuit of her own career as an administrative assistant to senior executives of Harris Corporation from which she retired in 2003. Upon retiring she relocated to Gloucester County, Virginia, where she remained until her passing. In her travels, Linda had many adventures and saw much of the country and met people from all over the world. She loved people and animals and enjoyed a peaceful retirement in her home in Gloucester where she spent much of her spare time sitting on her porch, watching the birds and animals and marveling at the sheer amazingness of the world around her. Linda was an avid seamstress and lover of books and magazines and never met a pie or cake or sweet treat she didn’t like. She had a silly sense of humor and penchant for writing short stories and jokes and drawing comics that reflected her observations about the world. But it was her endless optimism and gratitude that was the centerpiece of her worldview. This was best characterized by a saying she saw on a plaque many years ago and that she repeated frequently—“There is always, always, always, something to be thankful for.”

Linda is survived by her sister, LaWanna (Mary) Harpel; her children, Cindy and her husband John, Marty and his wife Sandra Faye, and Sandy Joell; five grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren who will forever hold her close in their hearts and miss her very much.

A small, private memorial service is scheduled next week, with arrangements being handled by Andrews Funeral Home in Gloucester.