Wanda Thomas Obituary

Wanda Lee Matt was born on October 28, 1936 in St Louis, Missouri to Roland Matt and Verna (Nelson) Bunce.
Wanda graduated Lindburg High School in 1954. She served in the Navy from 1955 to 1957. She worked in Washington DC in the Navy Photo Interpretation Center, where she met her 1st husband Jansen Fray (deceased) who to be a Naval photographer. They had two sons, Charles Fray and William Fray. Sadly, they divorced in 1967, during which Charles remained with his father in Pennsylvania.
Wanda moved to Kansas City to be close to her Mother and Stepfather, Perry Bunce. She later married Robert Barnes (deceased) and helped to raise two stepchildren, Patrica and Robby Barnes, as well as her son William. Wanda worked most of her life in Kansas City doing various administrative jobs.
After ten years, Wanda and Robert divorced. She moved to Riverside, Missouri with her son, William and her mother due to the death of Perry Bunce. After William’s High School graduation, Wanda moved down to the Ozarks, the area she most enjoyed. She lived there for most of her retirement.
Later in life she met and married Richard Thomas (deceased) who was a silversmith and together they opened their own rock shop in the Ozarks. Together they would make jewelry and other items to sell at different town festivals and Powwows.
Wanda liked gardening, sunflowers and working outside. She also enjoyed jigsaw and crossword puzzles and spoiling her dogs. Later she started taking art classes and even made pencil portraits of family members.
She struggled in her last few years with dementia which forced her to move closer to her son in Kansas City.
She is survived by her sons and their families. There will be no ceremony.
If you would like to make a donation in honor of Wanda, we suggest it be made to the Alzheimer's Association.

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