James Lafayette Wise Jr.

James “Jay” Lafayette Wise Jr., 87, of Charles City, Virginia, died early in the morning of May 3, 2024.

Jay was born in New Orleans, educated as the only Baptist student at his Jesuit High School, and then went to Carson-Newman University in Tennessee, where he met his wife. He earned his medical degree from Louisiana State University and remained an LSU Tigers fan for the rest of his life.

Jay became a board-certified pediatrician. Among his medical adventures included relief work in Haiti, service as a lieutenant in the United States Navy, the position of Medical Examiner for Charles City County, practiced as a family physician in Providence Forge, and served for several decades as the Chief of Emergency Medicine at John Randolph Hospital in Hopewell, Virginia.

After retiring from medicine, Jay was a partner in starting the Well-Trained Mine Press, an educational publishing company in Charles City, and managed the administrative side of the business for over 10 years. He also spent over 30 years supporting the work of his local church, Peace Hill Christian Fellowship. He helped build the church’s timber-framed sanctuary, preached on occasion, served as an elder, gave generously, and sang all of the hymns and songs with the greatest of enthusiasm. His occasional loud expressions of appreciation were known around the church as “Jaymens!”

Jay loved classical music, Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, British murder mysteries, J.R.R. Tolkien, astronomy, fishing, hunting guns, bread-baking, cooking, smoked meats of all kinds, large unruly dogs, and whoever played against Clemson. He loved the food and culture of New Orleans and the adventure and landscape of Alaska. In his later years, he returned to one of his first loves, watercolor painting, and produced scores of beautiful scenes of wildlife, flower, and the farm.

Jay was the husband of 62 years to Jessie; father to Bob, Susan, and Deborah; grandfather to Christopher, Ben, Dan, Emily, Brooke, Madison, Dot, Newton, and Linus; and great-grandfather to Siobhan.

Jay’s family will miss his generosity, his expansive optimism, his penchant for saying, “Oh, let’s try that; we can figure it out!”, and his loving support for generations of his family.

A memorial service was held on Wednesday, May 8, 5 p.m. at Peace Hill Christian Fellowship.