Wanda Jo Slagle

Wanda Jo Stinnett Slagle was born March 5, 1934 in Ravia, Oklahoma to Claud B. Stinnett and Alice Sanders Stinnett. When she was very young, the family moved to the Monkstown/Riverby/Telephone area of Fannin County, Texas. She attended Honey Grove High School, where she was valedictorian of her graduating class and was chosen as a Class Favorite every year throughout high school.

Wanda first met Alfred L. “Bob” Slagle of Monkstown, Texas when she went with a group of friends to a drive-in movie in Bonham, and they both felt a connection. Bob was in the Navy and sometime later, nearing his discharge, he called Wanda from base in New Hampshire and asked her to come there to marry him. Having never been away from home, she traveled alone by bus all the way from Texas to New Hampshire where she and Bob married on February 3, 1954.

The couple soon returned to Texas where Wanda worked in various office positions while Bob attended college. Towards the end of his senior year at Texas A&M, Wanda and Bob welcomed the birth of their daughter, Marie. The family lived in several cities, including Shreveport and Houston, before settling in Arlington, TX in 1969. At that time, Wanda began working as an Administrative Assistant for the University of Texas at Arlington’s Department of Geology, where she remained until retiring in 1999 after 30 years of service.

Wanda and Bob traveled extensively together, enjoying trips to Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, New England, and many other destinations over the years. After Bob’s passing in 2002, Wanda committed her time and love to her daughter Marie and her granddaughter, DJ. Wanda adored being “Nema” to DJ and was actively involved in all aspects of her life, always attending swim meets, piano recitals, volleyball tournaments, and spending time together with games and shopping trips.

In more recent years, Wanda enjoyed her time reading books, visiting estate sales and antique shops with Marie, going to movies with friends, attending lunches with the “Ladies That Lunch”, and exercising at Curves. She dearly loved her cat and enjoyed feeding the wild birds outside every morning.

Wanda will be remembered as a generous, sweet, and friendly woman, loved by all who knew her. She always saw the best in people and showed kindness to everyone she met. She fought bravely until succumbing to a brief illness. Always trusting in God’s plan for her life, Wanda entered the arms of our Lord on August 22, 2022 at the age of 88.

Wanda was preceded in death by her parents and her husband Bob. She is survived by her daughter Marie and husband David Dodson, granddaughter DJ and husband Matt Lewis, several cousins, many nieces and nephews, and a host of friends.

Flowers are welcome; or, donations may be made to the American Lung Association, or to the Wanda Slagle Scholarship Endowment, UT Arlington, Attn: University Advancement, P.O. Box 19198, Arlington, TX 76019.