Wanda M. Drake (Ne'e Barnett), 83, passed away on July 21st, 2015 at Via Christi St. Francis Hospital in Wichita, KS.
A resident of Kingman, KS for over 50 years, Wanda was born in Flint, Oklahoma on October 24, 1931. She was the youngest child of Robert Edward and Sarah Florence (ne'e Talbot) Barnett. She graduated as class valedictorian from Colcord High School (Oklahoma) in 1949. She went on to graduate magna cum laude from Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University) in 1955.
Wanda married Clarence W. (Bill) Drake on May 27, 1951. She assisted him as he set up his dental practice in Kingman and took over as its business manager.
A firm believer in the importance of education, Wanda volunteered in the Kingman schools as a classroom assistant and aided numerous residents as they worked on both English acquisition and professional writing skills. She worked with multiple volunteer organizations in her church, The United Methodist Church of Kingman and the community-at-large. Never one to pass up the chance to help others, Wanda firmly believed in the teachings of not only Acts 20:35, but also Matthew 6:1-4. Her eyes were always alert for need. Whether it was a child left unnoticed and in need on the fringes, or a family who might just need a hot meal, Wanda never failed to give what she could, and always did it with no regard for public recognition of her acts.
Wanda's generosity, wit, faith, selfless devotion to her friends and community, and dogged sense of determination will be sorely missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing her. Those who had the luck to enjoy a bite or two of one of Wanda's cookies or pies will also understand what a loss has befallen the world's collective sweet tooth!
She is preceded in death by her parents; her brothers Lee, Arthur, Curtis, and Russell; her sisters Grace Bailey, Ruby Helton, and Anne Barnett; and her beloved husband, Bill. Survivors include her sons Jeffrey and John; daughters-in-law Diana and Suzanne; and grandchildren Austin, Sean, Megan, Jesse, Gabrielle, and Max. Wanda's family requests that any donations made in her memory be made to the Kingman Food Bank in care of the Kingman Ministerial Alliance. Services will be held at the Kingman United Methodist Church at 10:00 AM on August 5th. The family will hold a public visitation at Livingston Funeral Home in Kingman from 5-7 PM on August 4th.