Wise honored by friends, community
Wise honored by friends, community
- By STEVEN COLLINS Circleville Herald Senior Reporter
- Feb 2, 2023 Updated 4 hrs ago
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ASHVILLE - Ashville Mayor Chuck Wise was laid to rest yesterday evening.
Wise, 63, died on Monday following an illness. He had served as mayor since Jan. 1, 2001.
In addition to being mayor, Wise was a former Police Chief of Ashville and had served on the Harrison Twp. Fire Dept. He was a 1977 graduate of Circleville High School. He then went on to the Police Academy and the Fire Academy and became an EMT.
Wise was a member of the Harrison Township Fire Department from 1982 to 1985. He received his firefighter certification while volunteering at Pickaway Township Fire Department in southern Pickaway County before moving to Ashville.
From there he went on to serve his community of Ashville as Police Chief and then Mayor being the longest serving Mayor and Police Chief in Ashville history.
In 2006, Chuck started with the Ohio State Highway Patrol as an Electronic Technician. Chuck was an active member of Village Chapel Church, helping with AWANA and serving on the Visitation Team and had also volunteered with Operation Christmas Child. He was a member of the Ashville Community Men's Club and had received the Distinguished Service Award. He was also a past Boy Scout Leader with Troop 159.
Kevin Pees, Village Chapel pastor who led Wise's funeral, said Wise welcomed him in personally.
"When I first started at Village Chapel, Chuck scheduled an appointment to meet with me," he said. "We sat down, and he was intentional about sharing the story of how Jesus had become Savior and Lord for his life. As we swapped stories, he paused and was very direct saying something like, 'Pastor, I know it can be hard to come into a community and start fresh especially as a pastor. I want you to know I support you and am with you.'”
Pees said when his father was sick, Wise and a couple other members of the church were there to be with him.
"We had just trained three people to do pastoral care visits for the church family and Chuck was one of those people," he said. "At this moment, they had not been commissioned to the church family. It was a very new project when my dad had a major heart attack and was airlifted from northwest Ohio to the OSU Medical Center. Even though they had never met my dad, Chuck and two men from church stepped up and provided pastoral care to my dad and to me. Every time dad visits the church he asks if the big guys who visited him are there. As I introduced this new ministry to the church family, I was able to say, 'These people can care for you. They have cared for my dad and for me.'”
Pees outlined Wise's many acts of service he performed in the church, including Operation Christmas Child shoebox ministry, being a lead usher, being a leader in the AWANA children’s ministry on Wednesday nights and on the visitation, team making calls and visits to people in the hospital or homebound.
"When we had big events to pack shoeboxes of Christmas gifts for children around the world, Chuck would get excited like a young child himself." Pees said. "He sacrificially served traveling to Boone, North Carolina on annual trips to help process hundreds and thousands of shoeboxes."
Pees said Many people will miss Chuck’s way of quietly caring for people and helping them behind the scenes.
"He had a big heart for the community," he said.
Franklin Christman, village administrator, spoke about Wise's dedication.
"whether Mayor Wise was dealing with an individual in the Village or the topic that involves the JEDD, CEDA, Pickaway County, Harrison Township and/or the State of Ohio, he gave it the same concern and attention, because he cared, and it ultimately is all connected," Christman said.
In a statement the Harrison Township Fire Department said Wise had a passion for everything he was involved with, and firefighting was no different. While at Harrison he attended classes and earned his EMT certification. He was an active member and a great asset to the department.
Retired Harrison Township Fire Captain Jim Smith said, “Chuck was always a people-person, and he communicated well with all those he came into contact with on squad runs. He had a passion for the people of Ashville and Harrison Twp. He cared deeply and at the end of his fire department career he continued serving the community as an Ashville police officer.”