Amy Wise
With a love for young children and a yearning to live in Vermont, Amy Wise arrived in Burlington in the spring of 1979 with a sleeping bag, a college degree and her welcoming smile.
She immersed herself in the community, and 35 years later, she leaves us a legacy of caring for Vermont's children, its natural resources, and the less fortunate.
Amy Warburton Wise, 58, died unexpectedly at her home in Williston on Nov. 11.
She was born Sept. 11, 1956, in Butler, the daughter of John L. Wise Jr. and Eleanor Green Wise.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies at Ohio Wesleyan University in 1978, and a Master of Education at the University of Vermont in 1991.
Amy was best known as a head teacher at Poker Hill School in Underhill from 1994 to 2012, inspiring and influencing more than 1,000 children, their families and her colleagues. She also taught at the JC Simon VNA Child Care Center, the University of Vermont Campus Children's Center, Community College of Vermont, the Burlington Technical Center, and Trinity College.
Recently, she taught for Vermont's Start with the Arts and Vermont Humanities Council. She generously donated time and resources to the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, the Lund Center, the Green Mountain Club, the Camel's Hump Nordic Center, and many other groups, for which she earned a Vermont Governor's Award for Outstanding Community Service in 2006.
Her grandfather, Otis Howard Green, a University of Pennsylvania professor of Hispanic Language and Culture, inspired Amy's devotion to the outdoors and education. Friends recall her love of running, biking to work, kayaking, skiing and hiking.
Amy explored the Vancouver Island West Coast Trail, Alaska, the Galápagos Islands, Nepal, New Zealand, South and Central America and Europe.
Amy enjoyed close friendships through a book group and a 30-year association with a group of friends who enjoyed cooking international foods.
She was an engaged citizen in Williston government, politics and planning.
She was predeceased by her father in 1996.
She is survived by her mother of Butler; her brother, John L. Wise III of Butler; her nephews, John Laing Wise IV and Hunter Navta Wise; her partner, Steve Jarrett of Williston, and children, Shay Gestal, Tom Jarrett and Lily Jarrett.
She will be greatly missed by many close friends, neighbors and relatives.
WISE — A celebration and memorial service for Amy Warburton Wise, who died Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014, will take place at the Billings Center at the University of Vermont at 10 a.m. Dec. 6.In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the Butler County Children's Center, 139 Rieger Road, Butler, PA 16001, or any other group serving young children.
