Randolph English Wise

Randolph English Wise, Jr., CDR USN Retired (February 25, 1942-March 27, 2022) died at Virginia Beach General Hospital with the support of family and friends throughout his last hospitalization.

Born in Philadelphia to Randolph E. Wise, Sr and Anne S. McCurley Wise, Randy was the eldest of four children. With a successful career in rowing at LaSalle College High School (‘59), he attended the University of Notre Dame (‘63 Mechanical Engineering), excelling academically and athletically as a varsity record-setting butterfly swimmer. As a member of NROTC at Notre Dame, he was commissioned as an Ensign upon graduation. Long interested in the Navy's underwater demolition teams, he applied and was accepted, completing UDT Replacement Class 30 (Little Creek, VA) in 1963. He joined UDT SEAL Team 21 and was an active member of that team for 3 years.

After that time he applied for and was accepted by Naval Flight School in Pensacola, FL, earning his Wings of Gold in 1968. As a naval pilot, Randy flew the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. His tours of duty included his home town of Virginia Beach, Nebraska, Japan, the Philippines, Washington, D.C. and several consecutive combat deployments at Yankee Station, Vietnam. Randy saw action in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam Conflict. He proudly served his country for 21 years before retiring in 1984.

Randy went on to have a successful career with Morgan Stanley (retiring as a Vice President) where he cared for clients for 33 years. His retirement years were filled with swimming (competing in US Masters Swimming), cycling and he much loved skydiving, completing over 1,600 lifetime jumps. He held many world records in the senior age category for formation skydiving. Recently, his senior group set a world record for formation divers over the Egyptian Pyramids.

Randy was supportive of several religious and community organizations, most significantly the UDT SEAL Association (25 years), the Kiwanis Club of Lynnhaven (35 years), and as a founding board member of the SEAL Veterans Foundation.

Randy will be dearly missed by his daughter, Alexandria (Katie), their children Evie and Whit; by his brother, James and his children Oliver (Ryan), Zachary (Shelly), and Ella (Rees), his sister Constance Klein (Kenneth) and their children Ariel (Kim), Noah (Crista), Liam (Katie), and Anina; and his sister Mary Anne Malkine (Gilles) and her son, Flip. In addition to his grand nephews and nieces, Randy will be missed by friends he has known from high school, college, SEALs community, volunteer groups, the Catholic Church on the Amphibious Base at Little Creek, and from his years at Morgan Stanley. The family wishes to express its gratitude to the doctors, nurses, respiratory and general hospital workers at VB General Hospital for their care and support.

The visitation will be Thursday, May 12, 2022 at Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home from 5-7pm (1264 Great Neck Road. Virginia Beach, VA 23454). The funeral will be held at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church on Friday, May 13, 2022 at 11am (5345 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach, VA 23462) with the burial immediately following (Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery: 5310 Milners Rd, Suffolk, VA 23434) at 1pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Kiwanis Club of Lynnhaven Foundation (PO Box 2895, Virginia Beach, VA 23450). Condolences may be offered to the family at www.hollomon-brown.com.