Laurence Earl Wise

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Laurence Earl Wise, 97, of Peoria, formerly of Harrisburg, passed away at his residence at 8:45 a.m. Saturday, April 3, 2010.

He was born on Oct. 14, 1912, to Grover C. and Bertha (Johnson) Wise in Harrisburg. He married Mary Louise Alvey in Harrisburg. She precedes him in death.

Surviving him are two sons, Grover (Mary) Wise of Peoria and Roger (Marcia) Wise of Parker, Colo.; two granddaughters, Michelle (Peter) Kiehl of Clearwater, Fla. and Ginger Wise of Peoria; one great-grandson, Joel Sopher of Peoria; and one sister, Bertha Rosalie (Wise) DeNeal of Harrisburg.

Preceding him in death are his parents, Grover C. and Bertha Wise; one brother, George Lowell Wise; and two sisters, Wilma Wise and Marie Gates.

He graduated from Southern Illinois Teachers College, now known as SIU-C. He was a teacher at New Hope School in Cottage Township. He was a farmer northeast of Eldorado. He retired from Caterpillar Tractor Company in East Peoria in 1979.

Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Friday, April 9, 2010 at Reed Funeral Chapel in Harrisburg. Visitation will be one hour prior to services. Pastor Arthur Foster will be officiating. He will be buried in Sunset Hill Cemetery in Harrisburg.