Marian Wise

Marian Isabella Wise passed through the gates of heaven on Sunday, December 11, 2022 at Good Samaritan Village in Moscow, Idaho.  She was 96 years old.

Marian was born on February 1, 1926 to William and Winnifred (Spurbeck) Freeburn in a little farm house in Pine Grove, just east of Genesee, Idaho.  She followed brother Earl and sisters Marguerite and Mildred and completed the Freeburn family.  The Freeburn family moved to Seattle in the fall of 1929.  Marian would tell some of the best stories about growing up in Seattle during the Great Depression.

After graduating from high school, Marian worked at a 10 cents store in downtown Seattle.  She then moved on to a new career as an elevator operator in an office building.  It was during this time, a dashing cowboy from Idaho, William Clark, came back into her life when he was stationed at Fort Lewis.  She had met William as a young girl while visiting Marguerite in Idaho.

Marian married William Clark on February 1, 1946.  The young couple then moved to a farm on Fix Ridge outside of Juliaetta, Idaho.  It was here that she truly embraced farm life and learned all about the joys and struggles of being a farm wife.  A baby daughter, Bonnie, was born in the winter of 1948 with a baby boy, Kenneth (Kenny), born in the winter of 1953.

William passed away in the fall of 1967, leaving Marian and Kenny alone on their farm outside of Moscow.  Not being one to shy away from a challenge, Marian enrolled in the LPN class at Gritman Hospital.  After a short stint at the hospital, she then went to work as the office nurse for Dr. Ayers and Dr. Marineau.

During her time as the office nurse, she met Kenneth Wise.  They married on April 1, 1972 (no, it was not a joke).  Their marriage was followed with their retirement in 1974.  They spent the summer of 1974 in a fire lookout deep in the Bitterroot Mountains.  This was the beginning of the many adventures of Ken and Marian.

Marian had several hobbies to keep her occupied during retirement.  She enjoyed traveling, even taking a trip with her sister Mildred to Germany to meet distant cousins and pursue her passion of genealogy.  Ken and Marian spent every moment they could together at their cabin on Lake Coeur’ d Alene.  They enjoyed hiking and canoeing around the lake.  She was also a master doll seamstress.  She had a true gift of dressing dolls, ranging from Barbie to American Girl dolls.  Her granddaughters’ dolls were always dressed to the 9’s.

Marian was a member of the Moscow Church of the Nazarene.  She was a devout Christian and truly lived by the words of the Bible.  She was a member of the Latah County Historical Society and the Makepahreca Club.  She spent several years behind the volunteer desk at Gritman Medical Center and folding clothes for The Hope Center.

Marian is survived by her children, Bonnie (Doug) Martin and Kenneth (Barb) Clark, and step-children, Teri (Tom) Mitchell and Alan Wise.  She had 6 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren, and 7 great, great grandchildren.  She was predeceased by her parents, brother, sisters, both of her husbands, and one granddaughter.

A celebration of Marian’s life will be held on December 29, 2022 at 1:00 pm at Short’s Funeral Chapel, 1225 E 6th Street, Moscow, Idaho. Donations can be made to The Hope Center, 1212 W Pullman Rd, Moscow ID or the charity of your choice.

The family would like to send a special thank you to the amazing staff at Good Samaritan in Moscow, especially Francie and Kathy.  Their kind and compassionate care during Marian’s last years brought great comfort to her.  We would also like to thank Marie with Elite Home Health and Hospice.  Her special care really made Marian feel special.