Eric A. Wise

Eric Ashley Wise was born in Fairbury, Nebraska on April 26, 1950. He was the firstborn child of Jimmy D. Wise and Leatrice K. Johnson Wise. He died at his home in Fairbury on June 7, 2022 at the age of seventy-two.

Eric was educated in public schools in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Burnsville, Minnesota. He received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Minnesota in 1973. In 1993 he earned a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University.

Much of Eric’s professional life reflected his lifelong love of the arts. In the eighties and early nineties he worked in video, film, and television as a costumer. Early video work for artists including Billy Crystal, David Lee Roth, and Julian Lennon led to stints as a key costumer on the feature films “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “Slam Dance.” He worked as a set costumer on the CBS series “Beauty and the Beast” and a costume supervisor on the ABC series “Coach.” After earning his masters degree, he turned his attention to the business world. He was a project analyst at Charles Schwab in San Francisco for a number of years before venturing into the area of non-profits. He worked as operations manager, then associate director and grant writer at Rolling Readers USA, a literacy program in San Diego. Returning to Minnesota in the early 2000s, Eric rounded out his career as a grant writer for Habitat for Humanity, Nonviolent Peaceforce, and Urban Ventures.

Alongside his work life, Eric lived a rich creative life. He was an avid and accomplished photographer.  As an author, he co-wrote “Dressing Rooms for Day Players,” a short videoplay distributed by EZTV. He also co-wrote “Pacific Palisades,” a two act comedy which was produced in Kent, England and Hollywood, California. As a performer, he worked with the KitchenCollective in Los Angeles, California, appearing in “Vietnam Requiem,” Severo Sarduy’s “The Beach,” and Heiner Muller’s “The Mission.” He performed at the Wallenboyd Theater, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and for NPR.

In 2016 Eric retired to his hometown of Fairbury, Nebraska. There he was preceded in death by his father. He is survived by his mother Leatrice of Fairbury, sister Elizabeth, brother-in-law John Gray, and nephew Caleb Gray, all of Sabetha, Kansas.

Services will be Saturday, July 23, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Fairbury with Pastor Victor Peterson officiating.  Gerdes-Meyer Funeral Home is assisting with arrangements. www.gerdesmeyerfh.com