Mary Ann Wise

Mary Ann Wise, age 85, passed away September 23, 2018. She was born October 4, 1932 in New Braunfels, Texas to Anton and Annie Reininger. She is preceded in death by her parents, brothers Harold and Terrance, and sister Dorothy. She is survived by her husband Paul Wise; children, Cynthia Lusk, Tommy Elliott, and Rebecca Elliott Veliz; son-in-law John Veliz; brother-in-law Kenneth Brietzke; grandchildren, Erin Hansen and Charles Lusk; great granddaughters, JasperLynn, Jennavecia, and Audisey Lusk, and Elinor Jean Hansen: brother, Donald L. Reininger; and numerous nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her husband's four children and their spouses, ten grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren whom she loved dearly.

She attended Sts Peter and Paul Catholic School in New Braunfels. Following this, she and her sister Dorothy attended Ursuline Academy in San Antonio from 1948 - 1952. Mary Ann and Dorothy would spend the week at the school and on Fridays would take the bus home to New Braunfels or their parents would pick them up in San Antonio. It was not uncommon for Mary Ann and Dorothy and their friend Rosie to engage in some mischief during their week at school. However, when they went home on the weekends they were "perfect little angels" because they knew they had to be.

During the summer and vacation times, her mother made sure that all of the children went to church every day. On Saturday they would all go to clean the church and prepare it for the Sunday mass. There was very little playtime for the Reininger children as there was always something to be done around the house. Raising four children could be very time consuming.

Mary Ann married in 1954 and moved to Bryan, Texas where she gave birth to Cynthia Ann in 1956 and Tommy Joe in 1957. Afterward, the family was transferred to Amarillo AFB, Texas and Becky arrived in 1961. In 1962, Mary Ann experienced her very first trip abroad when the family was transferred to San Vito Air Base in Brindisi, Italy. Mary Ann made the trip by herself with 3 children in tow. This was not an easy task since Cindy and Tommy were very mobile and she had a very difficult time keeping up with them in the airports. Becky was an infant and much easier to keep an eye on. Mary Ann shared the story of how the family luggage was lost en route to Italy. Once she and the kids arrived, she had to go to the base exchange to buy clothing for everyone. There was no base housing at that time so all families lived on the economy. Mary Ann adapted well to the Italian community and became friends with a local family, who guided her in the Italian way of life.

Mary Ann and the family returned to the United States in 1964 and settled in San Antonio. It was a blessing to her because this transfer brought her closer to her family in New Braunfels. Mary Ann loved all of her nieces and nephews and was part of every family event that she could attend. It was a rare occasion when she could not be present for a baby shower, birthday, baptism, or wedding. Mary Ann always enjoyed attending the Wurstfest in New Braunfels to celebrate her German heritage, which she was so proud of, and dance to as many polkas as she could.

She worked for the Government in Bryan and Amarillo, Texas. There was a short hiatus while the family was stationed in Italy, however, she did resume employment with the Government at Kelly AFB. Mary Ann worked at the NCO Club and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) for 30 years until her retirement in 1994.

After retirement, she became an active parishioner at Prince of Peace Catholic Church. She sang in the choir for many years. She was the treasurer for the St. Vincent DePaul Society for over 10 years. As the treasurer, she was responsible for tracking all expenditures, creating expense reports, and submitting all reports to the Archdiocese of San Antonio on behalf of Prince of Peace. She volunteered at the Prince of Peace Rock House, spending many hours distributing food and clothing to those in need from the parish.

Holidays were a very meaningful time for Mary Ann. She would tell stories of how her mother would bake and decorate the house for Christmas. This season became very special to all of the family as it was one of the very few times all were gathered together in one place at the same time. Her house was always decorated and looked so joyful. Her Christmas tree was a special project and she took great pleasure in hanging each decoration on it.

Mary Ann became Mrs. Paul Wise in February 2014. The wedding was attended by many family and friends. The last four and a half years were among the happiest times in her life. Mary Ann and Paul doted on each other and lived the life of young newly weds as they went out dancing, dining and watching movies together. Holding hands, whispering secrets and sharing long smiles they unabashedly showed their love for each other.

She had many wonderful family, friends, and associates. Mary Ann will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

Visitation will be at Sunset Northwest Funeral Home Sunday, September 30, 2018 from 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. with a rosary at 7:00 P.M. A funeral mass will be celebrated at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, 7893 Grissom Road, on Monday, October 1, 2018 at 10:00 A.M. Interment will be at a later date at Resurrection Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mary Ann's name to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at Prince of Peace Catholic Church.