1. Remembering Rick Wise IT’S THE LIFE IN YOUR YEARS…

2. Almost everyone has a bucket list. Things we want to do before we go. Not very many of us get to check off the whole list. Rick did.

3. SHARE HIS KNOWLEDGE. Rick was the smartest person anyone who knew him knew. He loved to teach, and he loved to learn. He taught himself everything from physics to philosophy, car repair to calculus. “Without common sense, the other 5 are useless.” – Rick Wise But more than that, he instilled in everyone a knowledge of the world around them.

4. SERVE HIS COUNTRY. Then he served in the Delaware Fraternal Order of Police. In his early 20s, Rick served in the U.S. Army National Guard. He then served for 30 years with the FAA. He was on duty during 9/11. A small part of him wanted to be in the planes that scrambled, not on the ground helping them. “Even as a small boy, I wanted to be a soldier.” – Rick Wise

5. DO A JOB HE LOVED (AND NEVER RETIRE). He spent many years with the elite weather unit, the highest rank he could reach without losing out on doing what he loved most. Rick spent 30 years with the FAA as an aviation weather specialist. “I don’t care what you want to be. Want to dig ditches? Great. Be the best ditch digger the world has ever seen. There’s plenty of pride in digging ditches.” – Rick Wise, talking to his children about work ethic

6. LIVE HIS WHOLE LIFE WITH THE WOMAN HE LOVED. They spent the next 40 years side by side. They rarely even visited with friends without the other. Rick and Linda met in August 1972. They married that December. “Honey, this man you’re about to marry? He’ll never change. Who he is today is who he will be 30 years from now. Son, this woman you’re about to marry? She will change. Be prepared to grow with her, because she will be completely different in 30 years. I didn’t even know what color my wife’s hair would be from one day to the next!” – Rick Wise, advising his daughter and then-fiancé before their wedding

7. KNOW WHERE HE CAME FROM. When most kids were going to the pool, Rick took his family to the Library of Congress. Long before the days of Ancestry.com, Rick and Linda researched their genealogy. Rick learned all he could about his Iroquois and European heritage. He traced his father’s family tree all the way back to Charlemagne. “I want you to know exactly who you are.” – Rick Wise to his children

8. RAISE A FAMILY WHO KNOWS HOW MUCH HE LOVES THEM. He missed not one basketball game, not one music performance. Rick’s legacy is the love for his wife, children and grandson. “If I teach you how to love, I will live long past whatever years God gives me.” – Rick Wise His presence in his children’s lives extended to love for all the kids around him. He went through life with scores of kids who knew him only as “Dad Wise.” And that’s just the way he liked it.

9. OWN HIS DREAM HOME. Rick and Linda wanted a single-family home their whole lives. In 2010, their dream became reality. Since they moved to Bealeton, their home has hosted family and friends, even their grand-dog countless times – exactly as they had hoped. “Your mother and I prayed for this house. We put our soul into this house. We finally have a home for our whole family to stay over at once.” – Rick Wise

10. MAKE MUSIC. He also ran sound boards and technology services at church for 30+ years. Rick was a trained jazz pianist and classical organist. (Bet you didn’t know that, huh?) “Can you see what I’m hearing?” – Rick Wise He even produced an album with his son. On their way to sing at a cousin’s church in Tennessee.

11. FEED THE HUNGRY. Once he pulled himself through that time, he vowed to help others the way someone helped him. When he was a young adult, Rick knew the hardship of not knowing from where his next meal may come. From making sure all the kids on our block had a hot meal to campaigning for Fauquier County Food Distribution, he made it his life’s work to provide healthy meals for those around him. “You’re making $400 a week? You have to be able to make a meal out of $3. Don’t panic, I can help.” – Rick Wise to his daughter

12. MINISTER. Becoming a lay minister in the Methodist church was Rick’s ultimate affirmation of his strong, abiding faith. Long before that, he ministered through music and passion plays, always getting the tough roles like Judas or Pilate. “I want my life to be my ministry. I want people to see me living my everyday existence and know how good God is.” – Rick Wise

13. AND LAST, CERTAINLY NOT LEAST… PET A DOLPHIN. And he did it. He even got his wife to join the fun. Yep, pet a dolphin. Not swim with, pet. “So long and thanks for all the fish.” – Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Rick’s favorite book)

14. IF IT’S NOT THE YEARS IN OUR LIVES, BUT THE LIFE IN OUR YEARS THAT MATTER, RICK WISE’S LIFE MATTERED MORE THAN HE COULD EVER HAVE IMAGINED. WE LOVE YOU, DAD WISE.