Shirleen Wiseman

Shirleen Wiseman

Willis Funeral Home

February 20, 2023

Our wonderful mother, Shirleen Wiseman, passed away Monday, February 20, 2023 after struggling from the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease for the past six years. She was born on April 24, 1932 to Thomas and Zelma Stice Northcutt in Seligman, Missouri, an only child. When she was just five, her father died suddenly from a ruptured appendix. As a young widow, our grandmother, Mrs. Northcutt, made the brave decision to leave Missouri in order to better provide for the two of them. They lived a short while in a suburb of Chicago while our grandmother got her master’s degree but eventually moved to Rio Grande, Ohio where she took a professorship at Rio Grande College.

While in high school, our mother met Harold Wiseman. From all accounts, they adored each other from the beginning. Following our mother’s graduation from Rio Grande College with a teaching degree, the two married in 1952. They had a wonderful relationship and made a loving home for the four of us for the next 28 years. She thrived as a stay-at-home mom, loved being a mother, and was a self-taught fabulous cook. She was a founding member of the Gallipolis Junior Women’s Club. While on a family ski trip in 1980, our father died suddenly of a heart attack at age 49. Our mother’s world was shattered and her grief was debilitating. She bravely struggled to make a new life for herself by going to work full-time for the first time in her life at the family insurance agency and continued to raise a teenage daughter, Annie, who was still at home.

Many wonderful friendships deepened during this period of her life. Because of her close ties to Rio Grande College, she served as a trustee on the University of Rio Grande Board of Trustees from 1984 to 2001. She was a thoughtful, loving, generous, and accepting person who was always available to anyone who needed to share a concern or problem. By her example, she taught all of us to accept and love others, make no judgments, be willing to forgive, and keep an open mind. She will surely be missed, but more importantly, remembered for the amazing person that she was. She would always say to us, “You are one in a million”; but she truly was that person.

She is survived by her children, Melanie and Mike Triplett, Lori and Dan Waugh, Tom and Libby Wiseman, and Annie and Gary Roach. Her grandchildren are Michael Triplett, Andrew Waugh, Chris and Kacie Waugh, Alex and Brittany Waugh, Jimmy Wiseman, Matt and Tiffany Wiseman, Abby and Brayden Greer, Maggie and Rick Jackson, Nick Roach and Lexie Griffin, Ben Roach and Jessica, and Jordan Roach. They fondly referred to her as Grammy; she would call them “sweets.” Great grandchildren surviving are Schyler Puhlman, Addison Wiseman, Reid Wiseman, Jackson Waugh, Owen Waugh, Dylan Waugh, Millie Waugh, Lucas Waugh, Stella Jackson, Henry Jackson, John Veloz, Thomas Greer, Samuel Greer, Alex Mejia, Geovanni Mejia, Elisha Cecil, Sophia Cecil, and one more expected in September. She is also survived by a host of nieces and nephews that she adored and a beloved group of friends.

You can honor her memory by letting those in your circle of family and friends know that you think they are also one in a million, accept others with no judgement, and open your heart to someone in need. Our sincerest thanks to Holzer Assisted Living, Tammy McCoy, and staff for their wonderful care and love shown to our mother, and Holzer Hospice as well in these last years.

There will be a private graveside service for family on Sunday, February 26, 2023 at 12:30 PM at Mound Hill Cemetery. One of her favorite things to do was dine out with family and friends. Per her wishes, we will be gathering at The Holzer Leadership and Innovation Institute at 254 Jackson Pike, Gallipolis from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM, following the service at Mound Hill. Please join us if you would like to come by, share a memory, and enjoy some appetizers with the family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The French Art Colony or the Holzer Heritage Foundation, designating Holzer Assisted Living Gallipolis.