Mary Wanda Frey, 100, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, at home with her loving sister by her side.
She was born on Sept. 17, 1920, at the Frey family farm in Rushcreek Township, Logan County, a daughter of the late Otis Dale and Mayme Josephine (Chapman) Frey. She was also preceded in death by the brother of her heart Gerald (Billie) Royer, and his daughters, Karen Royer, and Kathy Shepardson.
Wanda is survived by her loving sister, Audra Mae Frey; son, Brad (Susan) Harp of Tacoma, Wash.; grandchildren, Garret and Kelly Harp of Tacoma, Wash.; nieces and nephews, Jeff (Sandi) Royer of Jacksonville, Fla., Sharen (Jeff) Frazier of Missoula, Montana, and David Royer of Akron.
Wanda was athletic, playing Ping-Pong, tennis, and basketball in her high school years. She was the last surviving member of her Rushsylvania High School graduating class of 1938. Wanda loved to play the piano and sing in her church choirs.
She attended Ohio University and graduated from Columbus Business College. Wanda worked at Patterson Air Force Base during WWII and held jobs in Cleveland and Columbus before moving to Tacoma, Spokane, and eventually Los Angeles where she worked many years for Kerr Glass Co. The “girls” as everyone knew them, retired to Visalia, Calif., in 1992, then returned to Ohio in 2013. They made annual cross country driving trips from California to Ohio, stopping to visit cousins along the way. Their last trip was made when Wanda, the driver, was 93 years old. The two sisters were intrepid travelers and always interested in new experiences, meeting new people, and spending time with their many cousins.
Wanda was past president of the Visalia chapter and a lifelong member of Torchbearer Beta Sigma Phi sorority. She attended Rushsylvania Church of Christ, Wilshire Christian in Los Angeles, Fountain Christian of Visalia, and Rushsylvania Presbyterian Church.
She will be greatly missed by her many friends, cousins, and loved ones.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Rushsylvania First United Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 347, Rushsylvania, Ohio 43347 or to Interim Hospice Care, 3745 Shawnee Road, Suite 108, Lima, Ohio 45806.
The family will receive friends from 12 to 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29, at the Eichholtz Daring & Sanford Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 321 N. Main Street, Bellefontaine, where Pastor Lloyd Ferguson will officiate a funeral service at 1 p.m. Burial will follow Rushsylvania Cemetery in Rushsylvania, Ohio. Guests in attendance are asked to be symptom free, wear a mask and practice social distancing.
Eichholtz Daring & Sanford Funeral Home & Cremation Center, Bellefontaine, is honored to serve the Frey family and encourages anyone to share a fond memory or message of condolence at www.edsfh.com.