Wanda Lou Humphries
1936 – 2022
On January 19, 2022, Wanda Lou Humphries passed away peacefully in her home, in the presence of loved ones. She was the oldest child of Ernest and Marjorie Wright, born on June 11, 1936 in Geary, Oklahoma. Her parents eventually bought land and settled southeast of OK City. Wanda’s siblings (Elnora, Florence, Edward, Esther, and Linda) were all dear to her heart. She left this world cherishing her family and memories of a fulfilled life.
Wanda graduated from Putnam City High School in 1954. One of her memorable high school experiences was completing the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program with her good friend Sherrill. In her late teens, Wanda began working at Tinker Airforce Base. It was during this time that Wanda met Jimmie Walter Humphries at a Friday night YWCA dance. Jim was attending the University of Oklahoma on the GI Bill, studying geological engineering. Jim and Wanda hit it off and married on October 11, 1957. Wanda moved to Buena Vista, CO with Jim and their first two daughters, Jamie and Lori, in 1960. They bought a log cabin on the banks of Cottonwood Creek, met lifelong friends, and settled into mountain living. Jimmie Walter, Jr. (a.k.a. Wally) was born shortly after they moved to Tulsa in 1964. The family moved out west to California in 1967. Wanda found them an old green house with a view of Mt. Tamalpais. Wanda and Jim met many of their lifelong friends at First Baptist Church in San Anselmo. Jennifer was born in 1970. Weekend outings and “roughing it” camping trips were common. Ties to Oklahoma and Colorado remained strong – annual road trips to visit family in Oklahoma and the cabin in Buena Vista was the norm for many years to come. After Fairfax, the family (shrinking as kids left the nest) moved twice more, to Sacramento in 1979 and then to Chula Vista in 1985.
A few years after Jim passed away, Wanda retired from her civil servant position with the Navy and moved to Boise, Idaho in 1999. She had taken up painting in Chula Vista and immediately connected with the local artist communities in Boise, taking classes and honing her skills. Her work included landscapes, still life, portraits, barns, and roosters. Wanda explored her new home state of Idaho and made a point to travel to places that she had always wanted to visit, traveling with Elderhostel, with family, with friends, and on her own. She thoroughly enjoyed learning the history and culture of the places she visited. Wanda was also a talented writer and left a cherished collection of family stories, travel logs, and poems. She valued friends and friendship, keeping bonds with those met long ago and forming new ones along the way. She loved and took care of her family and was a gentle and supportive mother to all her kids. People appreciated her kindness, easygoing spirit, curiosity, and humor. Wanda’s life was guided by her faith in God and the Gospel. With every move, it was important to her to find and belong to a church where she could worship and find fellowship.
Wanda is survived by her children and their spouses: Jamie (Tom) Barclay; Lori (Chris) Ewens; Wally Humphries (Jan Stephens); Jennifer (Greg) Brown. Four grandchildren: Ross Barclay and his daughter Marley; Nicholas (Bella) Ewens; Remi (Alastair) Curley and their daughters Charlotte and Zoey; and Lucas Brown. Beloved sisters, brother, and their spouses: Elnora Lowry, Esther (Will) Hargrave, Edward (Sandy) Wright, and (Douglas Wade). Previously departed: Wanda’s husband, Jim Humphries; parents, Ernest “Sam” and Marjorie Wright; brother-in-law Jerry Lowry (Elnora’s husband and Jim’s best friend); and sisters Florence Wade and Linda Nelson. On Jim’s side, Wanda is survived by her sister-in-law, Ginger Hunter. Previously departed: parents-in-law, Dewey and Helen Humphries; siblings-in-law, Beckie and John Starzenski; and brother-in-law, Tom Hunter. Wanda was a beloved aunt to numerous nieces and nephews. She was blessed to have had many great friends.
A celebration of life will be held at 1:30 pm, on Saturday, March 19, 2022 at True Hope Church, 607 N. 13 th St. in Boise. The service will also be live-streamed and available online at: https://youtu.be/0ZGuFOCHTIo
The program for the service is available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RTJdAVvJZTEXAbsQjMBavKvi7yfz9asl/view?usp=sharing
To watch the memorial tribute video, please visit: https://youtu.be/qoq03JLVk7s
In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations to be made in memory of Wanda to St. Luke’s Hospital -> Designation -> Home Care and Hospice.
https://www.stlukesonline.org/about-st-lukes/donate-or-volunteer/make-an-online-donation
Arrangements are under the direction of Bowman Funeral Parlor of Garden City.