A Tribute to
Charles K. Wise
Village of Ashville Mayor
The following pages are dedicated to the service Mayor Wise provided to the Village of Ashville Community. Thank You.
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Click on the above image for a pdf of a forty-eight page PowerPoint
Click on the above image for a pdf of the Scioto Post Article
Thank you Jeremy Newman
Click on the above image for a pdf of the Circleville Herald Article
Thank you Steven Collins
Click on the image below for the February 2023 Newsletter about Mayor Wise
pdf of Pickaway County Board of Election Results from 1999 for Mayor Wise
https://www.olivercheekfuneralhome.com/obituary/CharlesChuck-Wise
Obituary & Services
Tribute Wall
Read more about the life story of Charles "Chuck" and share your memory. View Tribute Book
Charles “Chuck” K. Wise, 63 of Ashville, OH passed away on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, OH. Chuck was serving as the current Mayor of Ashville, was a former Police Chief of Ashville and had served on the Harrison Twp. Fire Dept. Chuck was born to the late Clayton and Donna (Dunn) Wise on May 23, 1959 in Pomeroy, OH. 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. 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. He especially loved spending time with his family and the apple of his eye grandson “Apple Jax”.
Besides his parents, Chuck is preceded in death by brother Terry Wise and sister Vicky Wise.
Chuck is survived by wife of 37 ½ years Sherri L. (Pruitt) Wise; daughter Donna Wise; son Jacob (Angie) Wise; grandson Jaxon; brother Scott Wise of Ashville; sister Pamela S. (Tim) Liska of Monrovia, MD; numerous other family members and many friends.
Visitation will be on Friday, February 3rd from 3-7 p.m. followed by a Funeral Service at 7 p.m. at Village Chapel Church, 30 Viking Way, Ashville, OH 43103 with Pastor Kevin Pees officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: Village Chapel Church or Samaritan’s Purse (Operation Christmas Child), P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607. Online condolences at olivercheekfuneralhome.com
Services
Friday
February 3, 2023
3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Village Chapel Church
30 Circleville Ave.
Ashville, OH 43103
February 3, 2023
7:00 PM
Village Chapel Church (Ashville)
Online Event
IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Charles "Chuck" Wise
MAY 23, 1959-JANUARY 28, 2023
Feature
Ashville Mayor Dies
By STEVEN COLLINS Circleville Herald Senior Reporter Jan 30, 2023
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Charles K. Wise |
CIRCLEVILLE — Ashville Mayor Charles “Chuck” K. Wise died Saturday.
Wise, 63, was elected in 2000 to be mayor and began serving in the role on Jan. 1, 2001. He previously served as the Village’s Police Chief and he currently worked for the Ohio Department of Public Safety as an Electronics Technician.
Wise, who often spoke highly and fondly of Ashville and even used village landmarks as profile pictures on social media, offered a piece of wisdom on his about me page on the village’s website.
“A leader is as good as the people he works with, and we have good people working here in Ashville,” he wrote. “We must work diligently to maintain this peaceful oasis and it will take a lot of hard work and commitment to address the important issues looming before us.”
In his 2022 state of the village address, Wise shared his thoughts on the future of the village and how he felt the village should handle the growth.
“While there has been much talk about growth, you can’t stop it, you can only control it, slow it down and make it what you want,” he said.
“Growth has positive and negative effects on the community. I try to remind my staff regularly; [companies and future residents] want to be part of the community, so it should be a co-equal benefit.”
Wise said many communities would give “their right arm” to have what Ashville does and what’s happening in the village.
“On a personal note, we would like to have the nicest parks, highest-paid staff, most community activities, biggest homes and so forth, but the fact is we want the residents who live here to be able to afford to continue to live here because they are what makes this such a great community and great place to live.”
Following Wise’s death, Nelson Embrey will now become the village’s mayor as he is formerly the president pro-tempore of Ashville Village Council.
Wise is survived by his wife, Sherri and his two children.
Breaking – Mayor of Ashville Passes Away Suddenly
Ashville – Mayor Chuck Wise has been confirmed to have passed away after a medical issue.
Mayor Wise became Mayor of Ashville on January 1, 2001, and has been reelected again and again. Before taking the mayor position Wise was an officer with the Ashville police department then Chief of Police, and until he passed he was an Ohio Department employee
Wise always aimed to push Ashville forward and worked diligently with new development to help steer the ship in the right direction on what would make Ashville better. He was one of Ashvilles biggest advocates and wanted everyone to work together as a team.
A quote from the mayor, “”A leader is as good as the people he works with, and we have good people working here in Ashville. Residents continue to voice concerns that the neighborhood is changing, and the next several years are critical to the village’s future. Funding is of primary importance.”
The mayor regularly wrote in the Ashville Mayors Column that appeared online and in the city print. Most of the time the Mayor talked about others’ efforts and highlighted Ashville.
Chuck was always a huge fan of race cars.
Personally, I have had several conversations with the Mayor and I quote to others some of the things he has said about recent development and the overall plans he had for Ashville.
BY STEVEN COLLINS Circleville Herald Senior Reporter
ASHVILLE — Ashville Mayor Chuck Wise was 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 Township Fire Department. He was a 1977 graduate of Circleville High School. He then wenton 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 communityof 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 Leaderwith Troop 159.
SUBMITTED PHOTO SUBMITTED PHOTO
The late Ashville Mayor Chuck Wise with his Wife Sherri.
His wife Sherri, called her late husband a good guy who loved the community. “Sometimes I was jealous of that,” she said. “My kids told him he was an Amazing Dad before he passed, I sure hope he heard them say that. They alsotold me they never felt second fiddle to any of his jobs, always made them feell ike they were the most important in his life. His love for me was very unconditional and I know how tough I am to love, so he was a great man.”Sherri Wise said she’s learned more about her husband in the last severaldays since he’s passed.“I have heard stories this week that he had never told me about how he hadhelped people in some way or another,” she said. “He was humble in that wayand was not a haughty person, caring for people the best way he knew howand not asking for any accolades. I only hope my kids and I can honor hislegacy and keep it going.”
SEE WISE ON PAGE A3SEE WISE ON PAGE A3
WISE Continued from page A1
Chuck Wise (left) performing the oath of office for police chief Jeff George in 2018.
It was one of many such ceremonieshe conducted during his more than 20 years in office.
Kevin Pees, Village 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 downand 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 tocome into a communityand 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 acouple 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 air lifted from northwest Ohio to the OSU Medical Center. Even thoughthey had never met my dad, Chuck and two menfrom church stepped upand provided pastoral care to my dad and to me. Every time dad visitsthe 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’smany acts of service he performed in the church, including Operation Christmas Child shoe box 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 shoe boxes 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 annualtrips to help process hundreds and thousands of shoeboxes.”Pees said Many peoplewill 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.
Late Ashville Mayor Chuck Wise in uniform before the 4th of July Festival in 1982.
Nelson Embrey, aformer village council member who was elevated to Mayor upon Wise’s death, had worked with Wise for many years, took a slight deviation from the usual prayer at Ashville Village council and took a moment of silence Monday to honor Wise and his memory. “We know where Chuck is at because he’s been a Christian all his life, very active in the Community United Methodist Church, ”Embrey said before his prayer. During that meeting, as his first act as mayor, Embrey closed the offices on Feb. 3 for the funeral and ordered all flags lowered to half staff in Wise’s honor. Later in the week, Embrey reflected on his history and friendship with Wise. They both started working for the village about the sametime as Wise was police chief and Embrey was the clerk/treasurer at the time.“We had a good association and we worked together even since I resigned as the fiscal officer and joined council, ”he said. “It’s one of those good relationships and he always called me for advice on things and I don’t think we ever had any great disputes.
He was a great guy to work for. Very community minded and well liked. ”Embrey said there were a couple of instances he could specifically recall in which Wise made a decision that was in the best interest for the village that wasn’t in his best interest personally.“He kept reminding people that we are the employees of the people of Ashville,” Embrey said. “You always had to keep that in mind as the administration function and as someone on Council. We serve the people of Ashville.”Embrey said the village has been working to keep Ashville small and Wise embodied everything he did.“He always worked with the community club and the Viking Festival,”he said. “As mayor the chief responsibility is the safety and well being of the community so you’re in charge of the you’re in charge of the police department. We want to keep a nice rural community as best we can but also knowing in some way or another with all the developmentyou’ve got to grow andyou have to meld the two together. I think Chuck did a great job with all of that.
”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, HarrisonTownship 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 memberand 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 hecame into contact withon squad runs. He hada passion for the people of Ashville and HarrisonTownship. He cared deeply and at the end of his fire department career he continued serving the community as an Ashville police officer.”
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Wise honored by friends, community
Wise honored by friends, community
- By STEVEN COLLINS Circleville Herald Senior Reporter
- Feb 2, 2023 Updated 4 hrs ago
- Comments
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.”
Home News Charles “Chuck” K. Wise, 63 of Ashville, OH
Charles “Chuck” K. Wise, 63 of Ashville, OH
Charles “Chuck” K. Wise, 63 of Ashville, OH passed away on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, OH. Chuck was serving as the current Mayor of Ashville, was a former Police Chief of Ashville and had served on the Harrison Twp. Fire Dept. Chuck was born to the late Clayton and Donna (Dunn) Wise on May 23, 1959 in Pomeroy, OH. 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. 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. He especially loved spending time with his family and the apple of his eye grandson “Apple Jax”.
Besides his parents, Chuck is preceded in death by brother Terry Wise and sister Vicky Wise.
Chuck is survived by wife of 37 ½ years Sherri L. (Pruitt) Wise; daughter Donna Wise; son Jacob (Angie) Wise; grandson Jaxon; brother Scott Wise of Ashville; sister Pamela S. (Tim) Liska of Monrovia, MD; numerous other family members and many friends.
Visitation will be on Friday, February 3rd from 3-7 p.m. followed by a Funeral Service at 7 p.m. at Village Chapel Church, 30 Viking Way, Ashville, OH 43103 with Pastor Kevin Pees officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: Village Chapel Church or Samaritan’s Purse (Operation Christmas Child), P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607. Online condolences at olivercheekfuneralhome.com
Honoring
Charles K. Wise, Mayor
Chris Amorose Groomes, Vice Chair and Dublin Council Member asks for a moment of silence to honor the services provided by Charles K. Wise to the Village of Ashville and Central Ohio.
Charles Wise is the Mayor of Ashville. He became Mayor on January 1, 2001. He is approachable and manages the Village with a business-like approach. He encourages everyone to work together as a team and disseminates information to the residents on a regular basis. He is truly an advocate for the Village. "A leader is as good as the people he works with, and we have good people working here in Ashville. Residents continue to voice concerns that the neighborhood is changing, and the next several years are critical to the village's future. Funding is of primary importance." We must work diligently to maintain this "peaceful oasis," and it will take a lot of hard work and commitment to address the important issues looming before us.
Our challenges include...
- Sound fiscal policy
- Streets, Zoning, Utilities
- Administrative - Improve communication
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- Enhance information to the residents via the Newsletter, periodic town meetings and an official Village website.
- Bring the staff together & coordinate efforts among all departments for a common goal.
- Neighborhood Services
- Trash pick-up, leaf pick-up, snow removal, street sweeping
- Safety
- The EMS & Police face new challenges with increased urbanization on our borders. They need our continued and renewed support.
Access the Mayor's Column by Clicking this Icon: Mayor's Column
Contact Information
Contemplating the close of this tribute to Mayor Charles "Chuck" Wise, we are reminded of a famous speech given by President Ronald Reagan. While the circumstances are very different, the commitment to an ideal greater than one's self and to other people is parrallel to that of Mayor Wise. As with Frances Drake, the Challenger crew, and Mayor Wise, we will carry on with the objective (mission) to honor Mayor Wise by continuing his goal to build a better and greater Ashville community while holding on to our vission: "Remembering our rural heritage, Ashville will be a vibrant and friendly community, offering an enhanced quality of life achieved through planning, progress and collaboration. It will be a welcoming place where people want to live and businesses prosper."
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Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger
Address to the Nation, January 28, 1986
by President Ronald W. Reagan
Ladies and gentlemen, I'd planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Today is a day for mourning and remembering.
Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss.
Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But we've never lost an astronaut in flight; we've never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we've forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle; but they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together.
For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, "Give me a challenge and I'll meet it with joy." They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.
We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for 25 years the United States space program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.
And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them.
I've always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don't hide our space program. We don't keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That's the way freedom is, and we wouldn't change it for a minute.
We'll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue.
I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA or who worked on this mission and tell them: "Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it."
There's a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and an historian later said, "He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it." Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete.
The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."
[Note: The President spoke at 5 p.m. from the Oval Office at the White House. His address was broadcast live on nationwide radio and television.]