Jessica Mae Tench Wise

Jessica Mae Tench Wise went home at the age of 86 on Sunday, November 10, 2024, after a brief illness.

Jessie was born on Dec. 10, 1937 in Charles City to Robert and Lucille Tench, and was raised at Peace Hill by Luther and Amelia Morecock. She met her husband, James Lafayette Wise, at Carson-Newman College in Tennessee, from which she graduated with honors. After their marriage, Jay entered the Navy and they lived in Massachusetts, Maine, Puerto Rico, and Haiti before returning to Peace Hill in Charles City, where she would spend the rest of her life.

Jessie was a loving mother and grandmother, and an active member of Peace Hill Christian Fellowship. She was generous of spirit and gave to an array of charitable organizations. She loved working in her garden, which she spent decades improving and refining. Jessie also enjoyed caring for her chickens, and spent thirty years teaching Sunday School with her meticulously organized flannel graph collection.

Jessie was a lifelong educator who taught elementary and middle school in five different states and foreign countries. She was a pioneer in home education and the co-author of “The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home.” Her reading and grammar texts have helped children worldwide.

Jessie was predeceased by her husband of 65 years, James Lafayette Wise.

She is survived by her children, Bob, Susan, and Debbie; her grandchildren, Chris, Ben, Dan, Emily, Brooke, Linus, Newton, and Dot; and her great-granddaughter, Siobhan.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, Dec. 29, 3 p.m. at Peace Hill Christian Fellowship. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Heifer International in Jessie’s honor, with gifts of chickens being particularly meaningful.