Wanda Beeson Bodenheimer

Wanda Beeson Bodenheimer, 77, magnificent Mamaw, ice cream aficionado, master negotiator, and read-aholic lost her battle with cancer. She is survived by her best friend and devoted husband of 59 ½ years, David Michael Bodenheimer, Sr., two of their four children and eight grandchildren.

Born Wanda Faye Beeson in September of 1946, she was the only daughter of the late Dan and Ruth Hill Beeson of High Point, NC. She spent her early years keeping her two brothers in line. She developed life-long friendships that carried her through all of life’s successes and tragedies, especially her heart sister Joyce Hodgin Watkins.

Wanda spent most of her life being loved by her husband Mike. Her strong will and ability to overlook his grumpiness made her irresistible – one dog bark and he was hooked. Together they created a tight-knit LOUD comedic family that can’t resist a good debate, a raging insult, and a giant hug. Sometimes all at the same time.

Wanda and Mike began their family with the birth of their first child on her 19th birthday – Samantha Bodenheimer Landry (Eric Landry) and kept adding to it for the next seven years with three more children – David Michael Bodenheimer Jr. (Jenny Shepherd), James Clayton Bodenheimer, and Bethany Faith Bodenheimer. They moved from High Point to Charlotte - then Wanda let Mike pick a vacation destination and the next thing she knew she had agreed to move four young children and one prissy Siamese cat to New Orleans. She spent the next 14 years struggling with intense heat and spicy food while fantasizing about getting back to “God’s Country- aka NC”. Wanda won and in 1990 they headed back to NC with their three youngest children and a different Siamese cat in tow.

After getting her youngest child off to first grade, she followed a life-long dream of getting her nursing degree. She earned her LPN first and started working the night shift. She didn’t stop there. At the age of 40 she graduated from the dean’s list with her RN degree, all while working the night shift, raising four children, keeping her husband happy, and having an active social life. She was a woman that figured out how to do it all. Unfortunately, she kept the secret of how she held it all together to herself. Some believe it was her infinite patience for what life throws at you, others her ability to compartmentalize and live in the land of denial…or maybe it was simply her desperate grasp to maintain her belief in the goodness of others.

After moving back to NC, she strengthened her childhood friendships, volunteered as a guardian ad litem, and worked diligently as a pediatric nurse at University Hospital and Bayada. She loved sewing and quilting for her many family and friends. She had a reading addiction that was never cured – she just went from romance novels (her hubby liked to call mush books) to murder mysteries with the occasional paranormal story.

She loved eating out whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner, going to garage sells, attempting to keep her houseplants alive, peeping into houses for sale, Oreos, Tootsie Rolls, lemonade, Lifetime and Hallmark Christmas movies…actually she loved Christmas and all the decorations that go with it. She had the ability to talk any police officer out of a ticket with a smile using her “Wanda Logic”. She spilled food on her shirts so often that the phrase “pulled a Wanda” was coined. Her grandchildren made her a target bib. She was a good sport and wore it once, but mysteriously the bib disappeared never to be seen again.

She loved unconditionally - any and all. Wanda loved her family in such a way that each one of them knew without a doubt they were loved. She especially loved her eight grandchildren – David Michael Bodenheimer, III, Taylor Reeves Bodenheimer, Simone Michelle Landry, Eric Paul Landry, Jr., Alison Rebecca Bodenheimer (Kevin Deja), Hannah Elizabeth Bodenheimer, Payne Dehart, and William David Bodenheimer. They were her pride and joy. She believed everyone should have a collection and started many for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and watermelon loving sister-in-law.

She showed her amazing strength by surviving the loss of her two precious sons. She knew her family needed her and she was going to keep it together no matter how she felt. After the loss of their oldest son, Mike and Wanda found a home with Epworth United Methodist Church. This church gave them the strength and love to carry on. They even renewed their marriage vows there on their 50th wedding anniversary.

In honor of Wanda, there will be a memorial service at 11 am, Wednesday, November 22, 2023 at Epworth United Methodist Church. The Rev. Dennis Marshall will officiate. The family will receive friends after the service.

Memorials may be sent to Epworth United Methodist Church, Women in Faith Fund, 1030 Burrage Road, Concord, NC 28025. While flowers are certainly welcome, we encourage you instead to take your family out to dinner and be on the look-out to see if anyone “pulled a Wanda”. Wanda would love that.