Harriet Wise

1923 - 2017

Harriet Frances Wise died peacefully on June 2, 2017, in Seattle, after a long illness. She was born June 29, 1923, in Rensselaer, IN, to William and Stella (Jacobs) Traub. When she was 9, the family moved to St. Louis. She attended Soldan High School, Harris Teachers College, and Washington University's Central Institute for the Deaf, where she was hired to teach after graduating. In 1946 Harriet married Wilfred Wise, a Canadian doctor serving in the U.S. Army. The family moved to Chicago and then Evanston, as did Harriet's mother, sister Wilhelmina, and Uncle Rudy. Harriet was active in the PTA, Beth Emet Synagogue Sisterhood and National Council of Jewish Women. Once her children were old enough, she returned to teaching hearing-impaired students in the Evanston public schools, retiring at 78. She studied Speech Pathology at Northwestern in the 1960s, and at age 71 earned an M.A. in Linguistics from Northeastern. Harriet nurtured a strong interest in language and learning, participating in writing workshops and publishing several pieces. She loved children and teaching and also enjoyed theater, meeting people, reading, travel, walking, gardening, cooking, and being with family and friends. Harriet is survived by children Stephen, Robert (Izione Silva), William, Elizabeth (Robert Young), and Judith and grandchildren Jonathan Young (Adam Sharma), Matthew Wise, Julie Young, Andrea Wise, and Sierra Young. She was interred at Shalom Memorial Park in Arlington Heights, IL. A memorial service will follow at a later date. The family suggests donations in her memory to the National Theatre of the Deaf, 325 Pequot Ave, New London, CT 06320. For further information, please contact the Weinstein-Piser Funeral Home, 847-256-5700.