Vanda "Wanda" B. Rapinchuk

Our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and teacher of 30 plus years passed away on November 20, 2014 at St. Mary’s residential Care Home II. She is survived by a daughter (Barbara), a granddaughter (Shaunamarie), and two great-grandsons (Shane and Joseph) on the West Coast and her last surviving sister/sibling (Anna “Unja” Nugent of Worcester, Mass.) with many nieces and nephews on the East Coast, one of whom she shared a birthday with (Tommy). Vanda was born in Worcester Massachusetts March 27, 1921, and was one of 14 children. After only 4 years of schooling, she started work as a young child in the factories to help the family. After the death of her parents, Vanda entered the Army and with hard work rose up within the typing pool during World War II. She married the love of her life, Joseph, and they moved to California with their daughter where they bought a home and established a life. After leaving the Army, Vanda went back to school to receive her basic and high school education and then continued to graduate from San Jose State University, California with her teaching degree within months of her husband’s death. Once she had established herself as an elementary school teacher and a single mother, she then went back to college to receive her Master’s Degree from Pepperdine University of California. She raised a daughter and then helped raise a granddaughter all while teaching the children who loved to learn. As a teacher who loved to learn herself, she took herself around the world 3 times before retiring from Robert Sanders School District after 30 years of dedication. Finding that she was bored with retired life, she soon dedicated her time to volunteering at the local school with the elementary students again helping primarily with reading. She also volunteered with the local “Crisis Hotline” chapter where she gave over 2000 hours of her time just on the phones not including back office work. Vanda never forgot her sister and family in Worcester and spent many summers with them throughout the years so that she knew ALL the cousins, nieces, and nephews and they ALL knew Auntie Vanda. She and her sister, Unja, remained the best of friends throughout all of the ups and downs life likes to throw at us. We are grateful that she celebrated 93 years of life with us and accomplished all of her dreams. We will celebrate Wanda’s life, and all that she meant to us with Visitation on Sunday, November 30, 2014 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with Rosary Service beginning at 6:00 p.m. at Lima Family Santa Clara Mortuary, 466 N. Winchester Blvd., Santa Clara, California. Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, December 1, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. at Saint Lawrence the Martyr Parish, 1971 St. Lawrence Dr., Santa Clara, California. Interment to follow in Golden Gate National Cemetery, 1300 Sneath Ln., San Bruno, California.