Wanda Lorraine Krenz Drose passed away at Eisenhower Hospital October 2, 2008 from complications of an extended illness. She had her daughter, Libby, with her.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church with Reverend Roger Schwartz officiating. Interment will be held on Friday, October 10, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. in Bethany Cemetery in Charleston, SC.
Born May 23, 1922 on a farm in Wheaton, Minnesota. She was preceded in death by her parents, Otto Albert Krenz and Leona Geneva Johnson Krenz, a sister Fern and brothers Waldomar and Dudley.
Wanda attended a one room school house until she went toWheaton High School. Determined to become a nurse she worked as a clerk in the Ben Franklin Dime Store to earn the $150 tuition (NOT a typo) to attend three years at the St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing in Breckenridge, Minnesota.
She completed her degree August 30, 1944 and accepted a job as Staff Nurse at Eitel Hospital in Minneapolis. Eventually Wanda discovered and joined the Army Student Nurse program. She truly felt called to be an Army nurse.
Wanda’s first duty station was basic training at Camp Carson, Colorado in December 1944. She went on to serve in the Philippines as a ward nurse in a field hospital during WWII. Wanda retired honorably from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel.
For those that knew her thirst for information, it was no surprise she was always keeping up with the latest and learning something new. She went on to graduate with distinction from the University of Minnesota in Nursing Education and Ward Management. While in college she was active in Alpha Tau Delta, Phi Lambda Theta and Sigma Theta Tau – honorary nursing organizations. Wanda was a very active member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church and was a “regular” in the Our Redeemer Quilters.
Wanda met her husband, Edwin M. Drose, while they were both serving in the Army. She married Ed in 1959 and had two children - Elizabeth “Libby” Kay Drose and Edwin Marion Drose, Jr. She is survived by her two children, her husband, daughter in law Nancy C. Drose and her two grandchildren, Briana Henderson Drose and Connor Krenz Drose and her three sisters - Doris Peschel, Clarice Turtle, and Marjorie Sullivan.
Wanda kept life interesting and was always on the go. A mover and a shaker we, her family and friends, will miss her terribly. She was a woman ahead of her time!
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society @ 2607 Commons Blvd. Augusta,GA 30909 or to the Foundation for Fighting Blindness ( Gyrate Atrophy. 11435 Cronhill Drive Owings Mills ,MD 21117-2220
The family will receive friends at the Funeral Home on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 from 5 until 8 p.m.