Iva Wiseman

Great Falls has lost one of its great ladies. Boots Wiseman passed away on May 19th at the age of 82. Funeral services will be held at the First Presbyterian Church in Great Falls on Saturday, May 23rd at 3:00 p.m. Cremation has taken place under the direction of O’Connor Funeral Home. She arrived in Great Falls in 1971 as an Air Force wife with a passel of boys and a dog. She proceeded to build a career in nursing at Deaconess and Benefis which remains legendary today. She trained and supervised hundreds of nurses during her time there, and then proceeded to establish the infection control protocol that is used everywhere in the hospital to this day. Boots is still widely known and remembered throughout the Benefis organization, and by nurses all over Montana. Born in Dust Bowl Oklahoma, Boots was raised all over Texas. Hard times required her to take care of her three younger brothers in Panhandle towns like Pampa, Borger, and Dumas. During high school in Dumas, she was in the marching band with a tall boy named Bill Wiseman, but didn’t care much for him. She went on to nursing school, and during Bill’s college career he began to look more attractive to Boots, and she to him. They married and embarked on an Air Force career that eventually landed them in Great Falls. Along the way, they lived in 30 homes and travelled all over the world. Boots had the unique distinction of moving her family from Great Falls to Stuttgart, Germany, and then three years later, back to Great Falls. After retiring, Boots remained active with many organizations, including the Montana Victim Witness program, the Salvation Army Auxiliary, PEO, the Great Falls Travel Club, and the First Presbyterian Church. She and Bill travelled to Latin and South America, China, and Europe. As her health declined, Boots showed many mere men what double tough really looks like by enduring multiple surgeries, walking with great difficulty, yet still managing to take care of Bill during his own decline into multiple health problems. She was admired by many friends for maintaining two homes and an always classy personal appearance. She continued to learn new skills right to the end, as when she had to take over the family finances during the past several years. Boots taught us by example the simple lesson that you never, ever give up. Boots is survived by her husband, Bill Wiseman; sons Don (Vicki) Wiseman of Ketchum, ID, Brady (Cyndy Andrus) Wiseman of Bozeman, and Kelly Wiseman also of Bozeman; and brothers Bill Libby and Dusty Libby, both of Texas. The Wiseman family would like to express thanks and gratitude to the Benefis organization for its kind and compassionate care.