Gladys Northcott Wing

McLean, Va. has lost one of its most charismatic citizens with the passing of Sis Wing at the age of 97 on June 28. She died at her home from heart disease.

Sis was born on May 26, 1927 in Huntington, West Virginia and was a member of a prominent West Virginia family. Her grandfather, Elliott Northcott, was a diplomat and a federal judge. She studied journalism at the University of Missouri and was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She worked for five years as a newspaper woman.

In 1952 she married Albert G. Wing Jr., a highly decorated career Army officer and World War II veteran who reached the rank of colonel. His commendations included the Purple Heart.

The couple’s Army postings included France and Germany, where Sis was able to continue to pursue her passion for horseback riding and fox hunting. They settled in McLean in 1960 and raised four boys. In addition to being a devoted mother, Sis worked as a real estate agent and volunteered with the Junior League, the St. John’s Episcopal Church Altar Guild, and was secretary of the Greater McLean Republican Women’s Club.

She was very popular across all age groups, and despite family tragedies – two of her sons predeceased her – she radiated a positive outlook and kept people entertained with her amusing stories.

The family’s base in McLean was a c. 1897 farmhouse on Swinks Mill Road, where visitors could get a taste of old Virginia among the family portraits and antiques. The four acres around the house were, and continue to be, a wildlife haven.

Sis Wing is survived by her son Andrew N. Wing, and her son John M. Wing and his wife Jennifer Lynn Wing. Her sons Albert G. Wing III and Robert E. Wing predeceased her. Albert Wing’s wife Lydia Wing also survives her.

Sis will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery next to her late husband on Thursday, November 7th at 3pm starting at the Old Post Chapel.

To access Joint Base Ft. Myer - Henderson hall, guests whom are not do not possess a DOD ID, must arrive atleast an hour earlier to obtain a gate pass to enter the base from the security office at the gate. Alternatively you can use the link below to register for a gate pass as well.

https://home.army.mil/jbmhh/my-fort/all-services/access-gate-info

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Murphys Funeral Homes of Falls Church.