Wendy Banks

Wendy Yvette Banks was born on October 27, 1956, in Washington, D.C., to Dolores Lewis and Maurice Banks Jr. The younger of two daughters, Wendy was known from an early age for the feisty, spirited personality that would remain one of her defining traits throughout her life.

Raised in Washington, D.C., alongside her older sister, Valencia, Wendy graduated from Anacostia High School and later attended the University of the District of Columbia. The two sisters, just two years apart, shared a close bond throughout their lives and were often more like best friends than simply sisters. Some of Wendy’s fondest childhood memories were made during summers spent with family in the place she and her sister affectionately called “the country.” There, surrounded by their mother’s family, including beloved Aunt Anna and cousins, Wendy experienced a much different way of life from the city. Those childhood visits became a lifelong tradition, and the country remained a place of peace, familiarity, family, and joy for Wendy throughout her life.

Wendy worked briefly at the National Gallery of Art before beginning her career at Howard University Hospital in 1978. She spent more than 30 years at Howard as a pharmacy technician before retiring. Howard became much more than a workplace. Over the decades, Wendy built lasting friendships, shared countless milestones with coworkers, and became part of a community that remained meaningful to her long after retirement.

In 1989, Wendy welcomed her only child, Yashimi Banks. Motherhood became one of the most important roles of her life, followed years later by another that brought her tremendous joy: grandmother. Wendy adored her granddaughter, Zoe Dixon, and fully embraced every opportunity to love, support, and, of course, spoil her.

Retirement did not slow Wendy’s love of people or her desire to stay connected. She later worked with children in an after-school program and as a receptionist at Ingleside, a senior living community. She especially enjoyed the relationships she built with both residents and coworkers and once again formed friendships that extended beyond the workplace.

Wendy knew how to enjoy life. She loved cooking, entertaining, spending time with friends, shopping, traveling, and trying new foods. She also had a deep love of music, with favorites including Jimi Hendrix, Prince, and Luther Vandross. In many ways, Wendy experienced life through music, food, laughter, and the people around her.

Those who knew Wendy will remember her as funny, feisty, quick-witted, expressive, and wonderfully unmistakable. She loved to laugh and had a special gift for telling stories with just the right amount of drama and exaggeration. She was not one to be easily pushed around and, as a true Scorpio, could certainly show her stinger when necessary. Beneath that fire was a woman who was loyal, warm, social, and deeply connected to the people she loved.

Wendy was diagnosed with breast cancer five years before her passing. She faced the years that followed with strength and perseverance, continuing to find joy in family, friends, music, good food, laughter, and treasured visits back to the country whenever she felt well enough.

Wendy passed away on August 7, 2026. She was preceded in death by her parents, Dolores Thornton and Maurice Banks Jr., and her brother-in-law, Robert Payne.

She leaves to cherish her memory her daughter, Yashimi Banks; granddaughter, Zoe Dixon; sister, Valencia Payne; along with extended family, lifelong friends, former colleagues, and the many people whose lives were brighter, funnier, and more memorable because Wendy was part of them.

Wendy will be remembered not only for the years she lived, but for the spirit with which she lived them — through laughter, music, good food, lasting friendships, family traditions, and a lifetime of stories worth telling.