Passed away peacefully on September 15, 2021.
Wanda was born on July 20, 1941 in West Virginia and went to be with the Lord at the age of 80.
Born the daughter of Lawrence Edward and Willie Mae Mitchell. She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Herman “Pete” Edward Vanderplow; children, Vickie and husband Tom, Lance and wife Brenda, Jason and wife Patty, Benjamin and wife Jill and her 10 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. She is also survived by brothers; Bobby and Larry Mitchell and preceded in death by her brother, Carl.
Wanda grew up in Bluefield, West Virginia with her parents Lawrence and Willie Mae and her brothers; Bobby, Carl, and Larry. Pete met Wanda in Bluefield, West Virginia while being on leave from MacDill Air Force Base. He was on a 3- day pass with a buddy who was from Bluefield. After 6 months of going there to visit her, they decided to run off and get married. The funny thing is that her folks had a BIG garden in the mountains and you had to go over the hill where the garden was to get water. As they had planned, Pete was on the other side of the hill waiting for Wanda where she dropped the pail and ran for the car! They then traveled to Sparta, NC. They went into a field to get the preacher and then to his residence and were married on June 18, 1958. She was one month short of 17 years old and he was 18. It was a long road with ups and downs like any marriage. Pete was in the Air Force for 10 years and Wanda followed him everywhere he went – kids and all. She was the rock of the family and always had the level head to keep the family together. After 63 years together, we are here to celebrate the beautiful life of Wanda. We all have our special memories and will always carry them with us in our hearts forever.
Wanda will be remembered as a gentle, loving and positive person and was always known as the rock of the family. She was a great listener and offered guidance from her own life experience. When visiting family in Illinois, Village pizza was the first place she wanted to eat and she really loved her pizza.
She loved spending time with family and friends. She enjoyed gambling, fishing, traveling, reading, and loved playing euchre. She will be greatly missed by all her loved ones and friends.
