Wanda Ladell Ward

      Wanda Ladell Ward was blessed with an abundance of leadership qualities. It would be accurate to say that this woman was an outstanding luminary and that her natural abilities served her well. She knew with certainty how she wanted to set priorities in all aspects of her life. She struck those who knew her as the kind of person who awoke in the morning with a clear sense of exactly what she expected from her day and how to set about accomplishing those goals. Wanda was a woman who definitely liked order and was most comfortable with an organized and structured lifestyle. When this climate was absent, Wanda would set about immediately to create it.

       Her parents were Jack Davis and Ella Joy Harris. Wanda was raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Wanda was brought up to be reasonable in her actions and was taught to use her intellect wisely. She was an honest and straightforward child, traits that reinforced her self-confidence. Even at a young age, Wanda was credited with having a positive influence on those around her.

      The positive atmosphere that Wanda generated spread to her family. Wanda was raised with seven siblings. She had two younger sisters, Patricia and Linda, older brother Laeman and four younger brothers, Joe, Jack, Larry and Wendall. Wanda served as a catalyst within the family. She often found herself in the role of providing fair solutions to those sibling disputes. In every family activity, Wanda was able to demonstrate her uncommon logic and skill at building compromise.

      Wanda's enthusiasm for learning and the personal energy that enthusiasm generated led to her exhibiting leadership qualities early on in her childhood. She liked to see things executed properly and showed a skill for taking control of situations that were drifting out of control. At the same time, she was willing to experiment with different approaches as she worked a plan towards a solution. In her spare time she liked pumping gas and changing tires for 25 cents. Wanda's memorable achievements included helping raise family.

      When it came to academics and school, Wanda's organizational skills reaped dividends. Wanda was able to create a system for getting her class work done in a proper and timely manner. With a strong ability to analyze her schoolwork and assignments, she could apply a practical, common sense approach completing her studies. She showed a natural curiosity in the manner in which she tackled new types of problems and would regularly challenge her own reasoning ability in finding solutions. She attended Central High school, but dropped out to raise her family. She enjoyed some courses more than others and developed favorite classes and teachers. Her favorite class in high school was Math. She was voted most likely to succeed, and she did just that!

      The work habits and approaches to studying that Wanda utilized in high school also served her well in college. Wanda always seemed on a quest for knowledge. She was able to generalize, summarize and compile information for her classes, employing a matter-of-fact approach. Wanda was intuitive and mentally alert, seemed to crave the challenge of solving complex problems. She earned her degree from TCU, she always strived to do her best and be the best at whatever she chose which she did.

      In a group of friends and acquaintances, Wanda was typically the first person to take the initiative to go up and greet someone new. That quality made her very approachable by others throughout her life. This same quality brought Wanda the reward of many friends. Maintaining loyalty to those friends was a trait that came naturally to Wanda. She believed that she should treat others in a fair manner, in the same way she wanted to be treated. Wanda also showed a great deal of appreciation for the accomplishments of her friends. While growing up, some of her best friends were William Murrell. Later in life, she became friends with Pauline and Jack Willmoth, they did many things together, went to visit and stay at Paulin and Jack's for occasional weekends to visit and gossip.

      As Wanda knew in other aspects of her life, she had a clear vision of what she sought in a relationship and worked hard to achieve it. Her first husband was George Benny Patching and she was widowed in 1970 and her second husband was James Williard Ward to who she was widowed in 2002. George and James were a significant part of her life, and it wasn’t necessary for Wanda to be overly sentimental or expressive about it for others to be aware of their mutual devotion. Wanda's secret to success was that she always kept the lines of communication open in the marriage and applied the important skill of being a good listener.

      Family and children were important to Wanda, even if she didn’t always show it. Wanda was blessed with two sons, Timothy J. Patchin and James Jeffrey Ward. She was also blessed with two grandchildren, Skylar and Evie. Wanda was able to keep order in the family by using the same efficient and straightforward methods with the family as she did at work. Wanda rarely made a scene when it came to discipline. Instead, she was subtle and patient in her dealings when teaching the children right from wrong.

      At work Wanda was viewed as a natural leader. She could marshal all of the available resources, including personnel and materials, in order to meet virtually any objective. She was great at developing strategies and made maximum progress with little wasted effort. Wanda was also adept at uncovering new and more efficient ways of getting things done. She was able to establish and meet objectives and schedules through long range planning and was always able to keep the big picture clearly in sight. Although Wanda might have been described by some as an overachiever, she was without question a dedicated and diligent employee. Her primary occupation was a Postal Worker in Fort Worth, Texas. She was employed for the Post office in Fort Worth, Texas, and a substitute teacher for the Fort Worth Independant School District.

      Wanda was a United States Air Force veteran. She was stationed in Ohio. Wanda's fellow soldiers knew that she worked well within the system, understanding the importance of rules and striving to follow them. Wanda's life approach was all about order.

      Not only did Wanda find pleasure in pursuing her various hobbies, she also enjoyed the discovery and research involved in learning about them. Her skill at problem solving had a positive influence on these activities as well. Her favorite pursuits were taking care of her land and the casino slot machines.

      Wanda lived her life guided by a well-defined set of beliefs. Her faith and religion were important aspects of those beliefs. She was a member of the Baptist Church.

      Wanda was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. One of Wanda's favorites was Oso, a Shitzu that she adored and was adored by. She would say he was "Oso Pretty". They were best friends for approximately 8-10 years.

      When Wanda's retirement finally came in she retired from the working world around 1983, but continued to work hard all her life before and after retirement. She had a strong desire to be the best and to do her best at whatever task she took on, she was well prepared. She had worked out all of the details well in advance and knew exactly what she was going to do. Her new life involved relocating to Oklahoma City from Fort Worth, Texas to live outside the city, for peace and quiet. In retirement, she found new pleasure in playing the slots at the casino and constantly improving the looks of her land. Always a well-informed person, Wanda enjoyed adding to her wealth of knowledge. Retirement afforded her the time to enjoy that experience and provided one more opportunity to look ahead at what life might offer her.

       Wanda fought a strong fight against brain cancer. She continued to stay strong until the very end, and continued to teach valuable life lessons even during her tough times. She is survived by three brothers, Jack, Larry and Wendall, her sister Patricia, her two sons Timothy Joe Patchin and James Jeffrey Ward, and her grandchildren Skylar and Evie. Services were held at Chapel Hill Funeral Home. Wanda was laid to rest in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

      Wanda Ladell Ward knew what she wanted from life and never hesitated in going after it. She could be characterized as a driven individual, someone who understood the importance of achievement. Wanda was decisive and outspoken at times but was also positive and upbeat about most things. She was a leader, both intentionally and sometimes by default. If she saw that something needed to be done, she was always ready to step up and actualize, organize and implement a plan.

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A very strong and family oriented woman who raised her brothers and sisters and two sons. Preceded by a father Jack Davis, mother Joy “Red”, sister Linda, brother Joe Leamon, husbands George Patchin and James Ward. She is survived by 3 brothers Jack, Larry, and Tinko, a sister Patricia Buchanan, nieces and nephews, and 2 sons Timothy Joe Patchin and James Jeffery Ward and a wonderful granddaughter Skylar Jene Ward. Funeral services will be 10am, Wednesday, 9-5-12 at Chapel Hill Funeral Home. Visitation will be 6-8pm Tuesday 9-4-12 at the funeral home.

We Love you Momma.