Thomas Grover Wise

Dr. Thomas (Tom) Grover Wise, age 77, of Longwood, Florida, passed away peacefully with his daughter at his bedside, on November 4th, 2025. He passed after an almost 19-year battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Tom was born in Lansing, Michigan on January 13, 1948, to Jay and Rita Wise. The Wises were a large, Catholic family with seven children. Tom was third in line with Bob, Mary, Pete, Paul, Greg, and Ann.

Tom attended Michigan State where he completed a pre-medical undergraduate program. He then attended the University of Michigan where he earned his medical degree. He completed his first residency at the University of Rochester and became board certified in Internal Medicine. His love of research then brought him to the National Institutes of Health for two years, where he became a Commissioned Officer with the U.S. Public Health Service, working as a research investigator in the Bureau of Biologics. Tom made the decision to complete a second residency pursuing training in dermatology. He attended Harvard Medical School, where he was awarded the honor of Chief Resident of Dermatology. In 1980, he co-founded The Dermatology Group in Longwood, FL where he practiced for over 30 years. He loved practicing medicine and genuinely cared about his patients.

Tom had a passion for learning and achieving and never did anything halfway. One of his passions was mountain climbing and he set a goal of summitting the highest peak on each continent. He summitted six of the seven mountains but sustained an injury while climbing Mount Everest, preventing him from reaching the summit. Other passions included cycling, hiking, genealogy, photography, and birdwatching, just to name a few. But Tom’s focus was always on his family. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, and grandfather.

At Michigan State, he met the love of his life, Kathleen Whitney. Tom and Kathy got married in 1969 and began their 56-year journey together. He was a rock and a constant source of love, kindness, strength, and support for his wife and children. He had a calm and gentle demeanor and was always there to provide advice or just listen. Tom loved his grandchildren deeply and created so many memories with them, until he was unable due to the progression of his disease.

Tom leaves behind a legacy of unconditional love, devotion, and gentle kindness. He truly had a pure heart.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Jay and Rita Wise. He is survived by his beloved wife, Kathy, his daughter Emily (Rick) Johnson, his son Jeremy Wise, and his grandsons, Noah Johnson and Jake Johnson. But he will be missed by many more.

 A Visitation will be Sat. November 15, 2025, from 10 until 11 AM with a Funeral Service at 11 AM at Highland Funeral Home with Burial following at Highland Memory Gardens and Highland Funeral Home and Memory Gardens, 3329 East Semoran Blvd., Apopka, Fl. 32703. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tom’s name to The Michael J. Fox Foundation.