Wanda Schabel

Wanda Ruth (Sullivan) Schabel, 103, of Independence, KS passed away Friday, February 4, 2022,  at Morningstar Care Home in Neodesha, Kansas. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, February 12th, 2022 at St. Andrew Catholic Church at 10:00am, an additional visitation will be held before the service from 9:00-10:00am at the church. Burial will follow at the Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be held at Potts Chapel, Friday, February 11th, 5:00-6:30pm and the Rosary at 6:30pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to Saint Andrew Catholic Church or Altar Society are suggested.

Wanda was born July 27, 1918, in Copan, OK, she was the cherished daughter of William and Ruth (Spangle) Sullivan and the beloved sister of brothers, Claron, Vern, Harold, and Norman, all who preceded her in death.
Wanda grew up with a loving family where there was a good balance of hard work and fun. She learned how to sew and make clothing for her family. She quilted alongside her mother, and they also turned scraps of fabric into rag rugs. Her mother taught her to cook and bake, homemade bread and cinnamon rolls were part of daily life. She loved to tend a garden and preserve a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. These were skills that served her well her entire life. Evenings were filled playing board games, reading, studying, and listening to the radio.
Wanda started school at Pleasant Hill Elementary, near LaFontaine, KS.   After a family relocation, she continued her education at Sunny Side Elementary.  Wanda excelled in school and skipped third grade. She attended Wayside Junior and Senior High schools and completed her exams for seventh and eighth grades on the same day. Wanda started ninth grade alongside her brother, Harold.  She completed her senior year at Havana High School with the highest grades in her class and graduated at the young age of 15.  She continued her education in Independence, KS completing three semesters of community college before a serious illness interrupted her studies.
At a party in 1937, Wanda met Robert Schabel and soon afterwards they began dating.  Following their Christmas 1938 engagement, they were married on May 10, 1939, at Saint Andrew Catholic Church.  Their 72-year marriage lasted until Bob’s passing, June 29, 2011.
When Bob was hired at Cities Service Gas Company in 1942, it initiated a nomadic lifestyle for their family, as they relocated frequently. Their journey started in Independence, KS, with moves to Grabham Station in Montgomery County, KS, Guymon, OK, Caney, Chanute, Ottawa, Independence, and Iola, KS then one final move returning to Independence in December 1966.
Wanda was a full-time homemaker and mother of seven. She was incredibly talented, resourceful, and creative. She made many homemade gifts which will remind us of her forever.  When her children were older, Wanda worked part-time as an accounting assistant, then later as a department salesperson.  In 1968, Wanda and Bob started a car wash business which kept her, plus sons, Joe and Carl Anthony (Tony), busy for the next 15 years.
Wanda was an avid reader throughout her lifetime and enjoyed all types of literature. She kept up with current events by reading multiple local newspapers, finishing with the crossword puzzles. She belonged to the library and book clubs and always had a good novel nearby. After reading her books, she would pass them along to family and friends. Wanda spent years compiling scrapbooks and photo albums recording her family’s history.  She maintained a detailed birthday and anniversary calendar as she loved to send, as well as receive, cards and letters. This was a favorite form of communication as she liked to re-read her letters and share news with other family members. Starting in her early childhood Wanda kept a diary and credited it for resolving many disagreements.  She loved traveling, attending countless weddings, showers, and graduation events across the country.
Wanda was a member of St. Andrew Catholic Church and Altar Society.  When she no longer traveled, she watched televised mass and rosary daily and looked forward to weekly visits from her priests, initially Father Marco De Loera, then Father Zachary Pinaire.
In addition to her husband, Bob, Wanda was preceded in death by daughter, Judith Beaver;son, Thomas Schabel; granddaughter, Pamela Watts; grandsons, Anthony Bucchi and Larry Watts; and great-grandson, Joel Watts.
Wanda was a sweet and gentle lady who never met a stranger, and was always quick to offer help.  She will be greatly missed, most especially by her devoted son, Tony, who took excellent and loving care of her over the past 15 years, and who remains at the home.   Also surviving Wanda: son, William (Sue) Schabel, Independence, KS; daughter-in-law, Dianne Schabel, Tyro, KS; daughter, Joyce (Carl) Bucchi, Greensburg, PA; son, Charles Schabel, Parkville, MO; son, Joseph Schabel, Lake Dallas, TX; 19 grandchildren, 42 great grandchildren, 11 great-great grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews and countless special friends.
The family would like to acknowledge the special care given to their mother by Louise Gillette, CNA, and Twila Letterman, RN, medical caregivers who always treated Wanda with utmost kindness, respect, and dignity.