John David Wissler Fund

MGSoA is grateful to John David Wissler's family for suggesting a charitable donation to MGSoA in lieu of flowers in his obituary:

  • mail a check to Mount Gretna School of Art, c/o John David Wissler Fund, PO Box 182, Mt Gretna, PA, 17064

  • You may also use VENMO: @MGSoA-Pay (please leave a note indicating Wissler Fund, along with your full contact information for our non-profit tax records (our messages on Venmo are not public). OR, Email your contact information separately to jnoble@mgsoa.org

  • To donate online with a credit card (you do not need a PayPal account to check out as a guest with a credit card):

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MGSoA is developing additional ways to honor JD’s legacy at the school, and this fund will help create a lasting impact while preserving his memory for future students. Further details will be announced in the near future. Donations are tax-deductible.


Honoring John David Wissler
1963-2025

John David (JD) Wissler was a beloved friend, outdoor painter, and co-founder of the Mount Gretna School of Art (MGSoA), serving as Vice President on the school's Board at the time of his passing.

As a painter, JD was deeply dedicated to the landscapes of central Pennsylvania and to the seascapes and sunsets around Cranberry Island, a place that had settled deep within his bones after many visits. His repeated and sincere engagement with these subjects had, to paraphrase the words of artist Ro Lohin, begun to touch on the sublimeAt the time of his death, shortly after a final painting trip to the Island, JD’s work had reached a kind of crescendo. We are so grateful he was able to return to his favorite place to paint and complete another body of work shortly before his passing.

a recent untitled work by John David Wissler from Cranberry Island.

co-founder of MGSoA

In the winter and spring of 2012, John David Wissler and the artist Ruth Bernard introduced me (Jay Noble) to the idea of starting a summer art program in Mt. Gretna. They were responding to my frequent conversations about the need for such a program, a decades-long obsession that surfaced in nearly every discussion I had since attending the Chautauqua School of Art in New York multiple times, both as a student and later as faculty and critic. I knew exactly how to build a great summer program, but I had no idea where to put it. JD and Ruth shared a similar concept they had also considered and told me about Mt. Gretna, home to the Pennsylvania Chautauqua, which lit the spark.

By the fall of 2012, the three of us had founded the Mount Gretna School of Art and recruited our first Board, which included longtime Mount Gretna artist and resident Lou Schellenberg. By the summer of 2013, the school and its curriculum had sprung fully formed, attracting students from colleges and universities nationwide.

JD and 2025 student Erik Pendergraft at the school's welcome potluck on arrival day, June 22, 2025.

visiting artist & instructor

JD loved the school and its students serving as a recurring critic, and instructor, in addition to his Board service.

JD teaching a monotype workshop in 2018.

JD observing the results of a monotype by a student in 2018.

Public Lecture at MGSoA, 2024

John David Wissler's public lecture at Mount Gretna School of Art, hosted by the PA Chautauqua in the historic Hall of Philosophy.

  

Service to MGSoA

JD’s contributions to MGSoA are vast. As an artist and Board member, he helped keep the school grounded in the highest standards of cultural excellence. His interpersonal skills were an enormous help to me, often overwhelmed yet driven in my role as executive director. He was a kind, gentle, moderating voice; while remaining uncompromising in the school’s pursuit of excellence.

At the start of the pandemic in 2020, JD stepped up to serve a temporary one-year term as Board President when our then-president had to step away to focus on the survival of his business. That one-year commitment extended through 2024, during which JD remained a steadying force for the school, even while caring for his mother, Evelyn June Wissler (1932–2022).

His philanthropic efforts, donor relationships, and personal contributions on behalf of the school total close to half of MGSoA’s funding since 2012.

Most notably, JD arranged an in-person introduction in our founding year to his friends Tom and Gina Russo of the Thomas A. & Georgina T. Russo Family Foundation. That connection formed a lasting bond that has fueled MGSoA’s steady growth and success over 13 summers.

JD also helped build a strong relationship with Joyce Heberlein of Lancaster Galleries, which came to consider MGSoA “part of the family.” Lancaster Galleries hosted our annual art auction fundraisers, hung special exhibitions of MGSoA artists, and generously provided off-season office space to the school.

JD and Joyce hanging a show on behalf of the school.

JD anchoring the table after a successful alumni special exhibit at Lancaster Galleries with Joyce Heberlein sitting to his left.  from the left: Jay Noble, Steve Alberts, staff-artist/exhibiting alum Marisa Smith Alberts, exhibiting alum Yiting Zhao, exhibiting alum Ibrahim Harris, John David Wissler, Joyce Heberlein, Ibrahim's guest, Gina Russo, Tom Russo, and Lancaster Galleries staff-artist Samantha Simmons.

Missing him greatly

For me, as co-founder and Executive Director, MGSoA’s success and its profound impact on artists have not come without their fair share of hair-pulling challenges. JD always seemed to know when to invite me over for a pint of Guinness, or, if I was too stressed out, a simple glass of water. He had a way of reassuring me in my efforts while gently encouraging me to slow down and enjoy the peace of his front porch, with its view of the creek. A visit to his art filled home and studio was good medicine whenever I felt like I was at the end of my rope. 

I will work to internalize his contribution to my life as best I can. In hopes that his strengths will remain with me as I continue the school he and I loved so much.

-Jay Noble

co-founder and Executive Director at Mount Gretna School of Art