Mary Jesselyn Wise

Mary Jesselyn “Sissy” Wise passed away at her home in Davidson, NC, on Sunday, February 19, 2017, as a result of breast cancer. Sissy was a loving and devoted daughter, wife, aunt, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Her warm personality and caring spirit endeared her to those who knew her, and she enjoyed life and brought much happiness to her family and many close friends.

Sissy was born at Mercy Hospital in Charlotte on December 8, 1934, daughter of the late Mary Jesselyn Huston Riggsbee and Victor Lee Riggsbee, Sr., pharmacist and owner of the former Hawthorne Drug Store in Charlotte. She attended Charlotte city schools graduating from Myers Park High School in 1954, and earned her certification in dental assisting from Central Piedmont Community College in 1975, working the following 12 years in the periodontics profession in Charlotte.

In 1960, Sissy co-founded the Twins’ Mothers Club after having twins of her own. The club later became Charlotte Mothers of Multiples, which is a 600-member non-profit organization supporting families with twins, triplets, quads or more. She also served as a Girl Scout leader and was a volunteer with the Shepherd Center and Friendship Trays while living in Charlotte and later with Lake Norman Regional Hospital in Mooresville.

Sissy enjoyed traveling, especially the annual beach trips with her family to Garden City Beach, SC, and loved gardening, playing bridge and Mah-jongg. She had a special gift for sewing and needlepoint and her beautiful craftworks are now prized family heirlooms.

Sissy was predeceased by her husband James B. “J.B.” Wise, Jr., to whom she was married from 1986 until his death in 1991, and a brother, Victor L. Riggsbee, Jr. of Charlotte.

She is survived by a daughter, Elizabeth Kennerly Williams (Darrell) of Fort Mill, SC; three sons, Ronald Douglas Kennerly (Bambi) of Red Springs, NC; Samuel David Kennerly (Gwen) of Huntersville, NC; and John Christopher Kennerly (Jennifer) of Mooresville, NC; her first husband, Ronald David Kennerly of Davidson, NC; a brother, Gayle Huston Riggsbee (Joyce) of Weddington, NC, a sister-in-law, Nancy Cheatham Riggsbee of Charlotte; ten grandchildren, Laura Williams Ciotoli (Darren) of Fort Mill, SC, Brian Edwin Williams (Amy) of Fletcher, NC, Aaron and Isabel Kennerly of Mooresville, Jamie Kennerly Peay (Corey) of Charlotte, J.R. Kennerly of Charlotte, Rebecca Kennerly of Statesville, NC, Ashley Corpuz Tavares (Tyson) and Crystal Corpuz of Cleburne, TX, and Rodney Corpuz of Charlotte; and eight great-grandchildren, Paul and Ella Ciotoli of Fort Mill, SC, Clyde Williams of Fletcher, Kingston and Kaya Peay of Charlotte, and Kehau and Ka’ena Tavares and Caleb Corpuz of Cleburne, TX,

A reception to celebrate Sissy’s life will be held at Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home,

16901 Old Statesville Rd., Huntersville, NC, from 2 to 4 pm on Saturday, February 25, 2017.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Friendship Trays, 2401 Distribution St. #A, Charlotte, NC 28203.

The family wishes to express gratitude to friends for their prayers and support during Sissy’s illness, and a special thanks to Jerri Hanemann, Sissy’s first cousin of Huntersville; Linda Turner, Sissy’s neighbor and close friend, Beth Bleavins of Hospice and Palliative Care/Lake Norman; and Londa Dudley-Hodges and the other wonderful caregivers from Dudley’s Home Health. Friends may offer condolences to the family at www.raymerfh.com.