Lisa Hanner Wolpert… Beloved Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Daughter, Sister, Friend… passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, March 12th, 2020. She was in a place that she loved, Clearwater Beach, Florida, with her best friend, the man she adored for nearly 35 years, her husband Marc.
Lisa led a life full of laughter, passion and adventure. She loved to go. She had an innate drive to experience all that life had to offer. To try new things. To explore new places. To find the best food, the best view, or the best deal at that garage sale just around the corner.
Her life began in Alabama in 1963, the daughter of Ronald and Josephine Hanner. Her father was a Major in the Air Force, and after retiring moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where Lisa and her younger sister, Rhonda, were raised. She graduated from Air Academy High School in 1981 and attended Auburn University, Montgomery.
Florida first became one of the most important places in Lisa’s life when she met her future husband Marc in Fort Walton Beach in March, 1985. It was a whirlwind romance – he knew that she was “the one” within a few days. They were engaged that May and married on December 21st of that same year, and were rarely apart for the next 34 years. They were each others travel companion and dining partner. They made each other laugh. They infuriated each other. They loved each other.
When they married, Lisa also gained two stepchildren, Matt (wife Andy, children Henry and Maggie) and Beth (husband Neil Podoll, children Weston and Avery), and together Marc and Lisa had three more children – Whitney (husband Phil Cunningham, son Sloane), Ashley (husband Luke, daughters Juliette and Chloe) and Marc E. She pushed her five children to try new things, to be adventurous, and to fight for what they believed in, even if it meant fighting with her. Lisa loved being a mother.
Even more, she loved being a grandmother, and her grandkids loved her. Whether she was Nanny or Grandma Lisa, they knew her as someone who had the ability to make anything fun, who would be totally focused on them. Lisa’s family was everything to her, including her parents, Ron and Josephine, her sister Julie and her sister Rhonda, whose life was cut tragically short in 2007. She was never happier than when she was surrounded by those she cared about, always offering to host a get-together or an event, including the wedding of her niece Olivia this past year.
Lisa and Marc moved from Colorado to Las Vegas in 1989 and together founded Success Realty. Lisa had a natural talent in advising people on the difficult decision of buying a home – people trusted her because they knew they were getting her genuine opinion. If she was advocating for something, it was because she truly believed in it. And if she didn’t think something was right, she wouldn’t hesitate to say so.
Lisa was also a tireless advocate for those she cared about… and that was not just limited to her family and friends. If someone was in need, she was drawn to help. And if Lisa was on your side, you could bet on things turning out for the better. She was generous, kind and had an inner strength that others could always rely on.
Travel was Lisa’s true joy – she and Marc first went to Hawaii on their honeymoon, and Maui quickly became their favorite place on Earth, but they traveled to places all across the globe — a trip to Italy, Switzerland and Austria was a highlight for her. They owned a vacation home in Clearwater Beach, and later moved there. Even after returning to the Las Vegas area, Lisa wanted to spend winters in Florida, the place where her life with Marc first began.
While she was usually in motion, some of Lisa’s favorite times were during moments of calm… Early mornings in a boat on Lake Mead, when the surface of the water was almost like a mirror… lying in the warm Hawaiian sun… wading out into the Pacific Ocean and just floating for hours…
The Memorial Service for Lisa will be held at Community Lutheran Church in Las Vegas NV, at a date to be determined soon. When further information is available, we will make it known.
“Let all that you do be done in Love…” 1 Corinthians 16:14
Although I didn’t spend a lot of time with Lisa, I knew her pretty well as her younger sister, Rhonda,:was one of my closest friends. I have always thought of Lisa and her family as m part of my extended family. Lisa I will miss your beautiful smile bubbly laugh and tremendously kindhearted nature which I know will be characteristics passed on to your children and grandchildren. I hope you are having a blast in heaven with Rhonda and pray God comforts those of us who are missing you here on earth. See you when I get there Lisa.
We are so grateful we got to meet Lisa and spend time with you two over the Christmas holiday. She had a spirit like no other and was so fun to be around. We will truly miss her. Love, Mark & Ruth-Ann