Wanda Gail (Johnson) Vogler went to be with the Lord on September 12, 2023, aged 79.
Wanda was born May 5, 1944, in Cherokee Co. AL. She and husband Richard “Dick” traveled the USA and world, visiting 57 countries. She passed away from a heart attack while visiting Cairo, Egypt.
She will be deeply missed by Dick, her husband of 58 years; sons Tracy (Leah) of Livermore, CA, and Terry (Theresa) of Sasebo, Japan; AFS exchange student daughter Karen Verheyden (Patrice) of Belgium; grandchildren Chase and Molly; and friends and family in AL, IL, OH, VA, and FL. She was preceded in death by her parents.
Wanda grew up in Anniston and Gadsden, Alabama as an only child. She was a graduate of the University of Dayton and The Ohio State University. She was a teacher, career counselor, and director of a STEM program in Dayton, OH for 18 years.
When they moved to The Villages, Florida, Wanda became a volunteer Guardian ad Litem and advocated for numerous children in Dependency for 19 years. Wanda found a calling she didn’t know she had when she became a Guardian. She was also often a mentor to new Guardians. Gardening and baking were her other passions. She always had a colorful garden and said it was where she did some of her best thinking. She was known for her delicious pies and considered sharing them as a way to show caring for others.
Wanda was a founding member and officer of P.E.O. Chapter IT, The Villages, an officer in Voices for Children of North Central Florida, and served in various capacities in her church. Previously in the Dayton, Ohio area for 37 years, Wanda served a President for TWIGS, the local chapter of AFS Intercultural Exchange Programs, and the Dayton Raiders club swim team.
A celebration of life service will be held at 2 ET / 1CT pm, Monday September 25, 2023 at the New Covenant United Methodist Church in The Villages, FL. A livestream and recording will be available at ncumcfl.com/celebrations-of-life.
In lieu of flowers, she requested that donations be made to Voices for Children of North Central Florida (www.voices4childrenfl.org).
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