"Wanda Cartwright 1934-2000"
Posted by Denver on 19:19:00 2/29/2000
Wanda Cartwright's Memorial Service February 29, 2000

The memorial service was very beautiful and uplifting. The minister started the service by requesting that everyone move forward and together, because Wanda would have wanted everyone to sit closely. We were also asked to hug at least three people near us, as a reminder that Wanda loved hugs.

The Remembrance portion of the service was initiated by Wanda's son, Tracy, and followed by anyone that wanted to share his or her memories or experiences with Wanda. Tracy did a beautiful job of sharing so many facets of his mother's life. She was an accomplished pianist, for example. But mostly, Tracy touched upon the things that all of us know about Wanda. Her compassion for the little guy, her dedication to anything she took on, and her sense of humor. Many of the people that followed Tracy and shared memories also spoke of her tenacity and her sense of humor.

I shared with the gathering some of my personal experiences with Wanda. I conveyed that her passing has been profoundly felt by hundred of her Internet friends on the forum, and the amount of love we all had for Wanda.

One of Wanda's friends expressed a wish that each of us remembers to hug ourselves every morning, because Wanda believed in the power of hugs.

Mary read the Tribute To Panico by B. J. Plasket. Mary and I spent some time with Tracy after the service, and he expressed how much the posts from the forum meant to Wanda in those last few days.

There were many photographs of Wanda displayed on two white boards, depicting the various stages of Wanda's life, and photos of those that she loved and shared her life with. There was even a picture of her beloved cats. There was one picture, in particular, that showed Wanda at about age twenty with her hands on her hips, leaning forward, and appearing to be giving her brother a piece of her mind. Pure 100% Panico. When Mary asked Tracy if we could have a scanned copy of that image for the memorial website we will be creating, he agreed that the photo did capture Wanda's spirit well.

I know Wanda would have done a much better job of reporting her own memorial service than I am doing, but I also know she understands.

Finally, I will leave you with this portion of the Remembrance presented by her Pastor, Warren Risch. He related a conversation he had with Wanda in the hospital a couple of days prior to her death. He asked her how her life had been. She answered that she was ok with everything, and she had friends on both sides.

Rest in Peace, dear Wanda.