Wanda Ruth Turner was born in McLouth, Kansas on July 22, 1936. She danced her way into heaven with a beautiful smile, knowing that she would finally meet Jesus on March 7, 2022.
 

Wanda was born at the home of her parents, Walter and Lulu Wendorff Turner, McLouth, Kansas. She was born during the hottest summer on record in Kansas. She was the eighth of ten children.  She attended McLouth Grade School and McLouth Rural High School, graduating with the Class of 1954. She was a cheerleader, played basketball, and was involved in choir and band. 

Wanda married her high school sweetheart, Carroll Dean Harker at the Evangelical United Brethern church in McLouth, on October 16, 1955.  It was at this church that Wanda first accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. Wanda and Carroll were avid travelers and visited all 50 states together. They also enjoyed cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean. After her beloved husband, Carroll’s passing on October 31, 2004, Wanda continued to enjoy traveling with her sisters and children.
 

Wanda and Carroll loved to bowl and participated in several leagues in Oskaloosa and Lawrence.  She was also a very talented seamstress, sewing many dresses for her four daughters and herself – oftentimes matching. She also enjoyed other hobbies, including cross stitch and crochet.
 Wanda was a life-long member of the McLouth United Methodist Church.  She volunteered with the youth fellowship, served on boards and committees, and sang in the choir with her husband for many years.  Wanda was also a 58-year member of Eastern Star, serving as Worthy Matron and several positions at the state level.
 

While Wanda’s main priorities were God and family, she also worked at the Bank of McLouth for nearly a decade before she and her husband owned and operated Harker Insurance and Real Estate in McLouth, Kansas, from 1963-2002.  The business is still in the family, owned by their daughter, Teresa. They were also co-owners of R & H Department Store in Oskaloosa, Kansas, with Carroll’s sister, Maxine.  Eventually, the business was sold to their daughter, Michelle.  Wanda enjoyed going to spring and fall market to buy apparel for the department store. Wanda also served on a Planning and Zoning Board in Jefferson County for several years.
 

Wanda and Carroll were the proud parents of five loving children who provided round the clock care for their mother in the last four months of her life. Four daughters: Teresa, McLouth; Denise (Tom) Redel, Kansas City, MO; Karen (Gregg) Sparks, Tonganoxie; Michelle (John) Eastman, Lincoln, NE; and one son, Kevin (Ellen) Harker, Leawood.  Wanda and Carroll were also blessed with thirteen grandchildren. Teresa’s children are Corissa Woodhead, Bradley Woodhead, and Sarah Hardee.  Denise’s children are Parker Redel and Rhett Redel. Karen’s children are Derek Sparks, Tyler Sparks and Rachel Copeland. Michelle’s children are Hannah Eastman and Paige Eastman. Kevin’s children are Gray Harker, Noah Harker, and Harrison Harker.  Wanda also celebrated the next generation of her family, with nine great-grandchildren: Mason, Logan, and Ava Sparks; Sterling, Serenity, and Samson Sparks; Cyrus, Roseanna, and Abram Hardee. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Carroll, of 49 years.  Her parents, Walter and Lulu Turner; five sisters, Guila Stroope, Wilma Watson, Arlene Jensen, Marjorie Marts, Thelma Boudreaux; and two brothers, Howard Turner and Orin Turner.  She is survived by two sisters: Vesta Kaufman, Hillsboro, OR and Myrna Ellsworth, Granby, CO.
 

Funeral services will be held at the McLouth United Methodist Church on Friday, March 11, 2022 at 11:00 am. Arrangements are handled by Barnett Family Funeral Home, Oskaloosa. Burial will be immediately following the service at McLouth Cemetery, where she will be buried next to her loving husband. Memorials can be made to the McLouth United Methodist Church and the American Heart Association.