Obituary of Wanda H. Riley

Wanda H. Riley, age 88, passed away on Saturday, March 9, 2019, in Olympia, Washington, surrounded by loved ones. She was born July 10, 1930 in Los Angeles, California, the only child of Ella Hanke and Henderson Riley.

Relocating to Olympia in 1939, Wanda graduated from Olympia High School in 1949 and served as their enthusiastic class chairperson, organizing annual “49er’s” reunion picnics until their 69^th last summer.  She began working at Montgomery Ward for five years, Sunset Life Insurance for four years and Washington State Department of Industries for 30 years, with her final service at the Legislature Hotline until she retired in 2009.   She was a member of the Washington Federation of State Employees/AFSCME for 30 years and served as their State Board member for 20 years.  After retiring, Wanda joined the Retired Public Employee Council and served on their state board for seven years.  She also was a board member on the Washington State Productivity Board from 1991 to 2011 representing WFSE, as well as a board member of the Thurston, Lewis and Mason Community Council for many years.  She was also a PCO in her Black Lake neighborhood for years and attended the 1988 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco. 

Wanda liked doing things to help other people and she had many friends in many different circles.  In her younger years, she enjoyed skiing at White Pass, Paradise and Sun Valley.  She served on the Olympia Ski Club Lodge Construction Committee, with the responsibility of hauling rocks for the fireplace from the highway to the lodge construction site.  Irene Malin recalls Wanda sustaining a back injury and was granted a lifetime membership of the club as compensation.     

In 1977, Wanda fulfilled her life-long dream of building her own home on Lake Street at Black Lake.  This was quite an accomplishment for a single woman in the 1970s when banks would still not lend to a single woman, but Federal Rural Housing Farm Home Fund came to the rescue.  This strong, employed, and unmarried woman would have to follow the federal guidelines, which dictated the number of bedrooms and bathrooms at the time.  In fact, she wanted to add a fireplace to her new home which was not allowed, along with a second bathroom, and she worked with her friend Tony and Corinne Cairone who wrote a letter stating that Tony promised to supply “firewood for life” in order to tip the scales and grant the fireplace. 

Wanda was an outgoing and adventurous person.  She will be remembered for her stories about crewing on Karen Fraser’s sailboat in South Sound Sailboat Races, traveling to Europe, her close artist friends in Germany, and her support of the Democratic Party and process throughout her life. 

In 1991, she and friend Rosalie Gittings were asked to drive an ambulance with 15 other ambulances from all over the USA along the I-90 route for health care coverage for everyone.  They were supported by labor, churches, small businesses and other groups.  They drove over 4,000 miles and met with many celebrities, including Governor Cuomo of New York, legislators from all states, actors, and comics.  The president then was George H.W. Bush and their plight went on deaf ears.  In 1993, they were asked again to ride a bus with many others through the center of the nation for Hillary Clinton’s health care reform.  They met President and Mrs. Clinton and Vice President Al Gore and Tipper Gore.  Again, their cause went on deaf ears as Congress was controlled by the Republican Party. 

Wanda was a life-long Democrat and served as Precinct Officer for many years.  She worked on many campaigns and, in the past decade or so, became a fixture at the Welcome Table, at the door, signing people in at fund raisers.  Oftentimes you would hear that if Wanda was at the welcome table, it was almost a certification or endorsement that this is a good candidate, or at least a really good democrat.

In her later years, Wanda enjoyed her home at Black Lake until she moved to Panorama City in 2016, where she continued to enjoy people, politics, everyone’s dogs, kids, oysters, wine, blue glass, local art, the Democratic Party and our political system, dinner every Friday night with her friend Sue, and every person in her presence. 

A Celebration of Life will be hosted by Julie, Carol and Mike Cairone, whom Wanda lovingly referred to as “her kids” on Sunday, March 31, 2019 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at The Olympia Yacht Club, 201 Simmons St. NW, Olympia, WA  98501.

One of Wanda’s favorite organizations was the “Community Action Council of Lewis, Mason and Thurston Counties.”  If you are so moved, their secure website is located at www.caclmt.org or donate directly by mail to “Community Action Council”, 3020 Willamette Drive NE, Lacey, WA  98516.