Wanda Louise Church

Wanda Louise (Bryant) Church passed peacefully from this beautiful world on May 1, 2026, in Ridgecrest, CA. She was born on October 24, 1934, in Knoxville, TN, to William E. Bryant and Lula (Spurgeon) Bryant.

Wanda’s childhood was spent roaming the hills of Tennessee with her dog and cat, developing an early and lifelong love of animals, gardening, reading, and the outdoors. She grew up surrounded by the beauty of the countryside and carried that appreciation for nature throughout her life.

She graduated with honors from Farragut High School in 1952 and later attended night school at the University of Tennessee while working full time. Wanda spent many years in the trucking industry before transitioning into insurance, where she specialized in Workers’ Compensation claims. She took great pride in helping workers secure their benefits and developed a lifelong interest in computers during this time.

In 1968, Wanda married Stephen J. Church in Oak Ridge, TN. They shared 57 years of marriage, celebrating that milestone in 2025. Their daughter, Anne, was born in 1972. After several relocations, the family settled in Ridgecrest in 1982, where Wanda worked in the Ordnance Systems Department at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake until her retirement.

In retirement, Wanda served as an ESL tutor for nine years, where she enjoyed her students and became affectionately known as “Gringo Grandma” to a very special family. She was a lifelong gardener and held a Lifetime Membership in the National Garden Club, also writing a gardening column for the local News Review.

Wanda was a voracious reader, writer, and poet, and a member of St. Ann Catholic Church. She was active in the local dog club and adored her greyhound and whippet. In later years, she began watercolor and pastel painting and was an active member of the Desert Art League.

She will be remembered as a wonderful daughter, devoted wife, loving mother, and good friend to those who knew her well. Wanda was preceded in death by her mother and brothers, James and William (“Bill”) Bryant. She is survived by her husband, Stephen; her beloved daughter, Anne Smith of Corralitos, CA; and two special nieces, Vickie Bryant and Teresa Kennedy of South Carolina.