MARCH 22, 1921 – APRIL 14, 2021
Dorothea “Sue” L. Wise
“Sue,” as almost everyone knew her, was a humble, resourceful, and imaginative lady known for her unique and beloved sense of humor. With these qualities she tackled the broad responsibilities and projects in her busy life.
She had met her husband, Leo S. Wise (d. 1995), in White Plains, New York where both of their families lived. Leo was a Columbia University educated mining engineer and amateur musician. Sue had worked in a business office after high school. They married in 1941 and during the war lived in New Jersey while Leo had a civil service commission at Picatinny Arsenal. Their first two children, Louise and Peter, were born during that time. After the war Leo and Sue went to South Dakota in connection with the mining industry where their other two children, Susan and David, were born. Seeking new adventures and better opportunities for educating their children, they moved to Colorado, settling briefly in Boulder, then in Longmont. Leo worked a short time for the Great Western Sugar Factory and had a Chinchilla business, but a few years later they acquired a small ranch near Longmont where they raised registered Hampshire sheep.
The Wise household consisted of a rambunctious family punctuated with dogs and cats while the sheep, Sue’s horse and gaggle of geese kept the farm in constant motion. Sue became a fabulous gardener, planting flowers and bushes around their newly built house, cultivating a prodigious organic vegetable garden and planting many trees around the irrigation ponds on the property. Sue and Leo had both grown up with classical music. Leo’s mother, Louise Love, was a concert pianist. Sue acquired an appreciation for classical music from her opera-loving father, George Lodes, who immigrated from Regenthal, Germany to the US as a teenager. When members of the Wise family were not tending to the demands of the farm and the sheep business, they were busy practicing their respective musical instruments.
In the 1960s Leo was an early founder, the first board president and first violinist of the Longmont Symphony Orchestra while Sue hosted the first meeting and helped establish the symphony guild which supported the fledgling organization. She was a busy and devoted wife, mother, and ranch hand. She blended family and the stewardship of their broad range of activities (girl scouts, boy scouts, 4-H groups, music and dance lessons, swim team and other sports, among myriad other commitments) with education, music, the outdoors, and animals. As Sue and Leo guided their children to successful careers of their own, they offered their friendship to many. Aided by Sue’s skill as a cook, mealtime at the Wise’s house was an event filled with conversation and laughter. Amid these demanding activities, it is hard to imagine how Sue pursued another major interest and career as a highly accomplished watercolor artist. She leaned toward art at an early age, inspired and encouraged by her mother, Dorothy Reichardt Lodes, a fashion designer for a New York couturier serving an exclusive clientele.
When Sue’s children were old enough to be in school all day, she pursued art in earnest. Sue took almost every art course offered by the University of Colorado over a 10-year period. She was invited to join a group of about 15 women artists in Boulder, the Artisannes, and with them established first the Wednesday Gallery, then the artist-owned and managed Mustard Seed Gallery that remained in business for several decades. Sue had been a member of Longmont Artists’ Guild in its early years and was made an honorary member in 2007. She also belonged to the Boulder Art Association, earned a signature membership in the Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Society, and was elected to the National Watercolor Society. Most important, in 1976 Sue became one of the two first women in Colorado to become an elected member of the old and prestigious American Watercolor Society in New York. She was the recipient of many awards at their annual juried exhibitions and earned their coveted Dolphin Fellowship.
Typically, Sue painted the elements of her environment in her very personal style of coaxing recognizable subjects out of abstract backgrounds. Stunning mountain views and rolling foothills seen from the Wise farm provided rich subject matter, as did the various animals roaming the property. Over time Sue began to focus on predatory birds she observed cruising above the open landscape. She never tired of watching and studying these birds which eventually found their way into many paintings for which she earned a considerable reputation. Her daughter Susan is compiling a catalogue of her paintings, recording Sue’s contributions as a noteworthy watercolor artist. Sue Wise will be remembered for her kind and friendly personality. She is survived by her 4 children, 8 grandchildren, and became known as “GG Sue” to her 8 great grandchildren. Her family and friends will all treasure her 100 years of life. Sue’s ashes will be scattered in the Rocky Mountains, joining those of her husband, Leo. In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honor Sue are invited to donate in her name to the Longmont Humane Society or the Longmont Symphony Orchestra. A celebration of her life will be arranged at a future date.
