Tuesday, October 29, 2013 10:16 am

Mrs. Shirley Wise was recently honored by friends and family at Sycamore Baptist Church.  

Mrs. Wise has just completed 55 years of service in the nursing profession and is retiring.  She began her career at age of 17 as a nurse's aid in a hospital in Goodland, Kansas.  After completing her degree, she worked in hospitals in Colorado, Kansas, Texas, and Nebraska. 

 She then moved to work in nursing homes where she served in Nebraska and Tennessee.  She has served in both military and civilian facilities.  She will be retiring from the Woodbury Nursing Home after 7 years there.

Mrs. Wise currently lives in the Gassaway community.  She and her husband are members of the Sycamore Baptist Church.  They have 3 children. Their daughters, Cindy Freer and Mindy Wise, live nearby.  Their son, Ronnie, is deceased.  The Wises have nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.  

"Mrs. Shirley", as many affectionately call her, is married to Larry Dean Wise, a retired truck driver.  The couple  laughingly talk about the crazy schedules and hours they have endured as nurse and truck driver.  Shirley gives Larry a great deal of credit for his patience and understanding for the sporadic hours that the career of a nurse demands. Larry jokingly says, "We've been married for 52 years and this is the first time we've lived together."