Dr. Richard A. Wiese dedicated his life to ensuring growth to help sustain Nebraska’s future, both professionally and through his generous support of Catholic education. After attending one room rural schools in Stanton County and Dodge County, NE, Richard earned his B.S. in Technical Agriculture in 1954 and a Master’s in Agronomy in 1956 from the University of Nebraska. He served in the Army Air Corps during WWII and in the Navy in Korea, retiring after 24 years of Naval Reserve service at the rank of Captain. Richard earned his Ph.D. in Soil Chemistry and Plant Nutrition from North Carolina State University.
After serving as assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin and teaching university soil science courses in Nigeria, he returned to University of Nebraska as an associate professor in 1967 and was promoted to professor in 1975. Dr. Wiese partnered with Nebraska agribusinesses to direct educational programs, developed management systems to maximize crop growth, helped develop Nebraska’s first water plans, and helped reduce farm expenditures in the North Central States by several million dollars.
“I remember Dad driving past Pius X High School and he mentioned the gift that he gave to Pius, [how] it impacted my life and thinking. When people pass through our lives they leave ‘wakes’ like a boat—ripples that affect us. Dad’s gift to Pius, as well as his whole life, leaves an effect on me and his gift to Pius leaves an effect on others as well.”
One of Richard’s children
One of Richard’s children shared, “I remember Dad always reminding us that failure isn’t failure if you learn from it and move forward. Also, that you never stop learning in life; there is always something you didn’t know.” Retiring after 47 years in production agriculture, Professor Emeritus Wiese received several awards for his dedicated service. As just a few examples of the many children and grandchildren he helped with tuition assistance, one of Richard’s daughters shared: “Dad believed in investing in PEOPLE. So much so, that he paid for college texts when my youngest son…won a [college] scholarship…He helped with tuition [for my sister’s work-related course]. There are probably many more instances, but he wasn’t one to toot his own horn.” Dr. Wiese passed away at age 95 on Feb. 22, 2024, survived by Luree Wiese, his beloved partner of 45 years, eight children, and many other loved ones.
A father of 10 and a parishioner of North American Martyrs, Richard appreciated the importance of endowments to schools’ financial sustainability. He and Luree attended estate planning seminars to explore tax-savvy strategies that aligned with their charitable priorities. In addition to many gifts over the years to enhance Pius X High School’s facilities and teacher salaries, during the 1989 Continuing the Commitment campaign, Richard also made Pius X the beneficiary and owner of a $10,000 Knights of Columbus life insurance policy to grow the school’s Endowment. When Pius X received Richard’s generous planned gift in March 2024, its value had increased by over 130%.
One of Richard’s children recalled being moved when learning of his planned gift: “I remember Dad driving past Pius X High School and he mentioned the gift that he gave to Pius, [how] it impacted my life and thinking. When people pass through our lives they leave “wakes” like a boat—ripples that affect us. Dad’s gift to Pius, as well as his whole life, leaves an effect on me and his gift to Pius leaves an effect on others as well.”
Luree also reflected on the impact of Richard’s life, his many generous offers of tuition assistance to help “any of his children/grandchildren extending their education,” and his ongoing legacy of enhancing learning and education through his special gift to Pius X: “May God bless our on-going work and the education of our young people.”
As a member of the St. Pius X Legacy Society, Richard is helping to ensure the school’s long-term sustainability for generations to come by investing in the Pius X endowment. Courtney Johnson, Pius X Foundation Executive Director, shared: “We are truly grateful for Richard’s generosity. We also feel tremendously blessed by the hundreds of respondents in the recent survey about future enhancements to our school who are considering including – or who have already included – the Pius X Endowment in their estate planning.”
Many generous donors have made Pius X the owner and beneficiary of a new or existing insurance policy, enabling their policy premium payments to be itemized as charitable gifts. If you have remembered Pius X in your will or as a beneficiary designation, or if you would like to receive more information about the St. Pius X Legacy Society, please contact us at 402-488-1046 or Courtney.Johnson@piusx.net.
