Robert Harold Wise

Dr. Robert Harold Wise of Dothan passed away Jan. 17, 2006. He was 79.

A memorial service honoring the life of Dr. Wise will be 2 p.m. today, Jan. 20, at First Presbyterian Church of Dothan, 3012 West Main St., Dothan, AL 36305.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be sent to First Presbyterian Church of Dothan or to Providence Christian School, 4847 Murphy Mill Road, Dothan, AL 36303.

One of five children, he was raised on a family farm in Coffee County, graduated from high school at age 16, helped build liberty ships inMobile during World War II and graduated from the University of Alabama. He then attended medical school at the University of Alabama in Birmingham and after serving as a doctor in the U.S. Air Force, completed his residency at Emory University specializing in radiology. Dr. Wise first practiced medicine in Valdosta, Ga., but soon moved to Dothan. He joined Dr. Norman Veale as one of the early partners in Radiology Associates, P.A. For more than 25 years, Dr. Wise was a mainstay at Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, serving the community as a gifted and compassionate physician. A colleague once commented that, despite being blind in one eye from birth, "Doc, you can read an X-ray with that eye better than most can with two." This opinion of his skill was widely shared in the local medical community until he retired in 1983. Throughout his life, Dr. Wise enjoyed all types of outdoor activities but especially hunting and fishing. Never forgetting his Coffee County roots, he retained a passionate interest in farming, cattle, timber and wildlife conservation. Dr. Wise was also an accomplished businessman and was among the original developers of Northside Mall in Dothan. Dr. Wise was the son of Marion Dallas and Vera French Wise of Samson.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Connie Neville Wise. The Wises have four children, Dr. Robert H. Wise Jr. (Heath) of Valdosta, Ga., Steven N. Wise (Barbara) of Nashville, Tenn., Mary Beth Wise McCrary (Dan) of Birmingham and Melissa Wise Salem (Richie) of Birmingham. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren; two sisters, Frances Wise Frederick of Montgomery and Jane Wise Stephenson of Geneva; brother, Ellis J. Wise of Elba. In addition, Dr. Wise leaves behind a host of other family and friends, all of whom will greatly miss his wit and wisdom.

Rideout's Valley Chapel, (205) 879-3401, is in charge of arrangements.