Daniel Gary Wise

On Sunday, December 27, 2020, Daniel Gary Wise of Bowie, Maryland, loving husband, father and grandfather passed away at the age of 91.

Dan was born in Decatur, Illinois on September 2, 1929 to Daniel George Wise and Hattie Margaret Pianka.  He received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, where he met his future wife, Marion, a nursing student. Following college he served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army.

Dan and Marion started raising their family in the Chicago suburbs then moved to Willingboro, New Jersey before settling in Bowie, Maryland in 1971 when Dan took a position with GE.

Dan spent the bulk of his six decade long engineering career as a member of spacecraft design, planning and operations teams for RCA, GE Space, Martin Marietta and Lockheed Martin based at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. He contributed to many weather and climate-related satellite programs notably: the Landsat satellites; the Nimbus weather satellites; the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellites (UARS); and the US Geological Survey’s Earth Resource Technology Satellite (ERTS) which was launched from Space Shuttle Discovery.

Dan enjoyed skiing and sailing with family and friends.  He was an avid member of the Goddard Skiing Club and the Goddard Sailing Club, for which he served as an instructor. 

Dan is survived by his wife Marion, children Thomas, Karyn, Douglas, Marilyn Sue, and four grandchildren. He is also survived by brothers Ralph, Duane and Gene Wise, and preceded in death by his brother Ronald Wise. Due to COVID restrictions, a private funeral service will be limited to family members.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations can be made in honor of Daniel G. Wise to the Wise’s church, St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church of Bowie at  https://stmatthews-bowie.org/give-online/