Richard Fray Wisdom

Richard Fray Wisdom, 93, passed away peacefully in his sleep on March 12, 2021. He was born 20 minutes before his fraternal twin, Robert Case Wisdom, on April 15, 1927, in Gary, Indiana. Bob died when he was 12 years old. The family returned to Idaho. He graduated from Boise High School in 1945 and was promptly drafted into the Army. He was the Chief Clerk, Headquarters 8th Army, in the occupation forces in Japan. Having joined the Navy Reserves, he spent his Navy years in the Seabees during the Korean War in the Pacific Theater. His formal education was at Boise Junior College, now BSU, and some Civil Engineering at the U of I.

On August 28, 1949, he married Patricia Anne Payne. They happily raised their four children, Robert, Alan “Jeff”, Rebecca, and Mark (deceased).

On August 7, 1983, he married Geraldine “Gerry” Holford. He welcomed her children Scott, Nancy, and Lisa Miller. They cherished their blended family for 37 wonderful years.

Dick’s particular joys and talents were skiing, running in the Over the Hill Track Club (the Bakersfield Marathon), designing and building houses, wine tasting, sailing, playing games (especially Cribbage) and telling very bad jokes. After he retired he spent many happy years working at the museum in Roseberry, Idaho. He was rewarded with the Idaho Esto Perptua Award. He also learned to watercolor and was a member of the “Painting Ladies and Dick”. He was a lifelong member of Masonic Lodge #60 in Boise, Idaho.

When he arrived in Inyokern it was as local manager of Associated Aerosciences which was a contractor for the Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS). When he retired from the Naval Weapons Center (NWC) at China Lake, California, he was Head of Staff of the Research Department.

Dick is survived by his wife (Gerry); brother, Don Wisdom (Donna Kay); children, Robert (Sandy) Wisdom, Alan “Jeff” Wisdom, and Rebecca (Denis) George; step-children, Scott (Debbie) Miller, Nancy (John) Guy, and Lisa (Gary) Gillen; and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends truly too numerous to mention.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter Thomas and Lillian Pearl Groves, his twin Robert, his sister and brother-in-law Rosemary and Jim Dixon, his sister-in-law Donna Rae Wisdom, his youngest son Mark Christopher Wisdom, and his grandson Alex Michael Gillen.

Godspeed, Dick.