Wanda Faye Johnson Beaudry Stanzel, who died Oct. 3, 2021, at the age of 82, loved life and lived it fully. She is survived by Theodore Edward (Ted) Stanzel, whom she married in 2011; step-daughters, Lisa Beaudry Waters (Michael) and Desiree Beaudry; brothers-in-law, Baker Coulter, Ron Koska (Donna) and James Stanzel; nephew, Seth Coulter (Janice); nieces, Kellye Young (Maury) and Sara Whitlock (Kelvin); nephew and godson, Steven Koska (Camille); niece, Sherilyn Noland; stepgrandchildren Shannon Waters Toth (Gregory), David Waters and Mathew Waters (Heather); and step-great-grandchildren, Henry Waters, Caroline Waters and Reina Toth.
Wanda was preceded in death by her parents, Eldridge Elihue and Mable (Purvis) Johnson; first husband, Rolfe Beaudry; sisters, Jean Eldridge Adams, Mary Jane Coulter and Kathryn Joyce Koska; sisters-in-law, Anita Stanzel Srubar and Helen Migl Stanzel; brother-in-law, Leonard Adams; nephews, Keith Coulter and Eugene Adams; and step-great-grandchild Anastasia Toth.
A celebration of Wanda’s life was held on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021, at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Schulenburg. Interment was in the St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church Cemetery.
Wanda was born in Golden Meadow, Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, on Dec. 23, 1938. She was adept at reinventing her life and her career. After graduating as a dental hygienist with the second class of the UT Health School of Dentistry at The University of Texas at Austin in 1958, Wanda worked as a dental hygienist in the Houston area. Later, she excelled as a real estate sales associate in the Houston market. Wanda was a life-member of the Texas Exes and volunteered with a number of organizations including the Daughters of the American Revolution, Lady Washington Chapter, and The Blue Bird Circle that supports pediatric neurology.
A member of the Houston Yacht Club in La Porte from 1966-2018, Wanda loved sailing Galveston Bay and U.S. coastal waters. She served as president of the yacht club Ladies Association in 2009-10.
Wanda and Ted enjoyed dancing, playing golf and traveling, especially their trips to Alaska and Jerusalem. With her move to Schulenburg, Wanda got involved with community groups. Wanda shared her time and talent on the Schulenburg Weimar area Parents As Teachers (PAT) auction fundraising committee. As an active member of the Literary Club, she will be best remembered for “bringing the house down” with her performance as Hercules Perot in a dinner theater production. One of Wanda’s greatest joys was volunteering as an enthusiastic guide for the Schulenburg Chamber of Commerce’s Painted Churches Tour. She painstakingly studied for months and continued her education during her tenure so that she could give an excellent, knowledgeable tour of each church and the communities that surrounded them. By the end of these tours, many visitors felt as if Wanda was a trusted friend.
Throughout her life, Wanda reached out in support of family and friends, helping others to live life more fully. Wanda believed “God is Good - All the time and All the time, God is Good.”
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church or School in Schulenburg, or to the charity of one’s choice.