Dr. Eldred Houck ("Buddy") Wiser, MD completed his life on Earth on July 24, 2023, at the age of 80.   Born March 9, 1943, in Nashville, Dr. Wiser was the only child of the late James Eldred Wiser, PhD and Louise Marcene Wiser, both of whom were the first in their families to attend college and achieve higher education degrees.  They moved to Christiana, TN when Buddy was 5 years old.  As a child, it was apparent that he was extremely gifted both intellectually and imaginatively. He attended college without a high school diploma (years later his mother petitioned the school to have the diploma awarded) and graduated college in only 3 years.

He began medical training at the University of Tennessee Medical School at Memphis, finishing in the class of 1965 at the top of his class, with honors.  He met his wife, Rebekah ("Becky") Earl Griffitts, MD while they were in medical school together.  He completed his internship at the John Gaston Hospital in Memphis, served as a Flight Surgeon in the US Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, and completed his general surgery residency at the City of Memphis Hospitals.

Drs. Wiser and Griffitts moved to Dickson, TN where they raised their family with three children.  He was a loving father committed to the protection and well-being of each of his children, always placing each of his three children's interests before his own. He encouraged and enjoyed having his children make rounds with him at the hospital and encouraged their own careers in medicine. He considered having his children with his wife to be one of the greatest blessings of his life.

Dr. Wiser dedicated his entire 50-year medical career to serving the people of Dickson and the surrounding counties.  Countless lives were saved and touched through his unwavering commitment to patient care.  As a surgeon, he constantly strove to improve previously established surgical techniques, and rapidly adopted and advanced newer technologies.  He was one of the first surgeons in Tennessee to complete abdominal surgeries through the laparoscope in the early 1980s.  He was a champion for women's health and advocated for the early detection and treatment of breast cancer.  Further, he played an instrumental role in expanding all oncology care in Dickson, including chairing the oncology committee at the Natchez campus of Horizon Medical Center.   Even more impressive than his technical surgical abilities was his ability to master the 'art' of medicine through genuine care, compassion, and concern for his patients.  All who knew him would attest that Christ's 'beatitudes' sermon matched his character traits as he served and truly cared for others.  Dr. Wiser valued the professional relationships he developed at TriStar Horizon Medical Center.  The physicians, nurses, assistants, and administrators were all considered to be essential parts of a medical team and he cherished them as family.

Finally retiring from his surgical practice at the age of 74, Buddy moved back to his childhood farm in Christiana.  It was there that he began cattle farming and maintained his family's century farm in Bedford County.  As a Tennessee Master Beef Producer, he worked to genetically improve his Angus cattle through selective breeding.  He loved to spend time " driving the Gator" on the farm with his three children and seven grandchildren.

In the last years of his life, Buddy developed a passion for reconciling God's Word of the Creation story with our modern understanding of science.  He worked tirelessly on his reflection on the creativity of God and God's active plan for His children, and completed the work just the week before his passing.  He attended Fairfield Church of Christ in Bell Buckle and worshiped online at the North Boulevard Church of Christ, Murfreesboro.

Buddy was preceded in death by his parents, James and Louise and his wife, Rebekah.  He is survived by his children, their spouses, and his seven grandchildren:  Eldred J. Wiser, MD- Melanie Wiser, Elizabeth Brittian Wiser Anderson, MD-Nicholas Anderson, MD, and Sarah Houck Wiser, MD-Giulio Remo Romeo, MD.  His seven grandchildren Rebekah Anne Wiser, Ethan Eldred Wiser, Sophia Elaine Wiser, Ian Jacob Anderson, Elsa Gray Anderson, Antonio Wells Romeo, and Marinella Leighton Romeo were a delight to him.

His paternal cousins Anne Clark, Peggy Frazier, Patsy Gregory (deceased), Wanda Nottingham, Betty Jo Kvernes, Gary Wiser, Cyrus Wiser, Linda Sadler, Joan Van Hoosier (deceased), and Nicholas Wiser (deceased) were a joy to each other and reunited frequently to celebrate the Wiser family.  His maternal cousins Marcene Emerson and Edmund Smith were also important to connection to his grandparents in Florida.  Peggy and Buddy were a "quaranteam" during the pandemic.  She was his best friend, "sister-cousin", and caregiver over the last years of his life.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, September 2, 2023, at the Fairfield Church of Christ in Bell Buckle, TN at 11:00am, with receiving of family and friends immediately to follow.  Condolences may be sent to the family at Woodfin Funeral Chapel, www.woodfinchapel.com.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation honoring Eldred H. Wiser, MD to an organization supporting breast cancer research and patient support.