In loving memory of Dain Delmar Wise, 73, who peacefully joined his Lord and Savior on October 1, 2025, during a short stay at Swedish Hospital with final support from Hospice. Family and friends are deeply saddened and shocked by his sudden death due to brain cancer. He was born on January 31, 1952, in Wray Colorado, to Jack and Ruth Wise. He has been a lifelong Joes-Kirk, Colorado resident and was a 1970 graduate of Liberty High School.
Dain loved riding horses along the Arickaree river on the Thompson Ranch in his youth. He said, “Back then, the river actually had water in it.” There were beaver ponds, ducks and many beloved deer hunts that took place in that magical place. A longtime friend, Larry Beckman, often accompanied Dain on these adventures. He also enjoyed showing cattle at the Yuma County Fair.
Dain attended NJC for 2 years, where he majored in history, receiving an associate degree. The following winter, he worked for Klassen Drilling. (“Boy, was that a crew!”) He thoroughly enjoyed the job and the fact that he was part of the development of some of the first irrigation wells in southern Yuma County.
Dain Wise and Debbie Mansfield were married in 1973 through 1987. They initially lived in Greeley and Aurora, where Dain traveled to work in Wyoming and Utah staking out gas lines and doing elevation readings. Darrel Idler was instrumental in helping him get that job, where he reportedly was at the bottom of the totem pole. He added that in Wyoming, the sun would be out, and the temperature would be 10 below zero and the snow stayed on the level on the top of fence posts. They had to travel with snow cats and snow mobiles.
In 1976, Dain and Debbie moved back home to Kirk for their careers and to raise a family. To this union, Dustin Wise was born in 1978 and Tycie Wise in 1981. Dain and his brother Emmett Wise helped grow the farming and ranching business with their parents. Dain was often found in some of the hay fields on an old cabless 4010 stacking loose hay. He recalled that he had to cover head to toe because of all the sandburs flying and that his ears rang for days after all the tractor work was done.
Dain loved sports. He played town team basketball and softball into his forties. His grandchildren, Tyler and Travis Wise, enjoyed riding down to Handi’s in Stratton for lunch on multiple occasions, highly debating how the Nuggets were going to do during the season. They often talked about who their favorite players were, and how they would build the most undefeated team by combining players from all teams.
During Dain’s later years farming, he enjoyed walking pivots with his dog Foxy and making sure the operation went smoothly by helping deliver fuel, fertilizer, and seed to the tractors in the field. He was often heard poking fun at his son, Dustin, by asking: “So how many steps did you get in today? I got 15,000!” Dain loved and lived for corn and wheat harvest and if the crops seemed to not produce as much as expected, he typically responded with “you get what you get.” He lived by the farmers’ motto of “Well, maybe next year.” He added humor to a situation by saying: “when in doubt, turn the water on.”
Dain enjoyed traveling to Telluride, Durango, Gateway, and especially to visit his daughter, Tycie, in Chandler, AZ. Tycie and her dad made great memories hiking all over the AZ back trails. She often joked: “Dad needs to slow down! He is out-hiking me and he is in his 70’s!”
Dain loved his community of friends and neighbors. He was most concerned, even during his stay at Swedish Hospital, about everyone having a safe and bountiful harvest. Dain was predeceased by his parents, grandparents, and nephew Greg Wise. He is survived by his brother Emmett and wife Bonita; son Dustin and Tosha Wise and grandsons Tyler and Travis; daughter Tycie Wise; aunts Vickie and Jose’ Talamantes and families: Mindy Pilling, Nicole Donald, TJ and Brittnay Talamantes; and Gayle and Keith Drager and families: Jory and Tyra Drager, Jayden and Tycie Drager and Jediah and Sasha Drager as well as several great nieces and nephews: Devin Flores (Kenzo and Queency), Hope Pilling, Kaden and Koda Drager, Jorja, Jayda, and Jemma Drager, Benji, Liam, and Niko Drager, Brixleigh Talamantes, and many cousins from the Kechter, Collette, and Martin families.
Services will be held Oct. 10 at 10 a.m. at Liberty School (Joes, Co) followed by Interment at the Olivet Cemetery. There will be a celebration of life at the Grassroots in Joes, Co after the Interment with a meal.
Memorial preferred to South YW Ambulance Service, Kirk Fire Department, or Joes Fire Department.