Wanda Jane (Hess) Davis was born on December 22, 1938 to Francis Elwood Hess and Carmen Ena (Hobble) Hess in Colby, Kansas. She attended the Colby Public Schools graduating in May of 1956. Wanda was not interested in pursuing a college education as her parents offered, but instead opted to continue working at the Chamber of Commerce as a secretary for a year and a half , before marrying his girlfriend of four years, Don Albert Davis. Wanda continued in secretarial positions for the next 37 years for various attorneys and as administrative assistants at Colby Community College AED and eventually PTA/Nursing programs.
Wanda enjoyed becoming a mother and during this time she took 3 years off to raise her two daughters, Lori Ann and Joni Lynn. Her hobbies included financing antique auctions, sewing most of her young daughters’ dresses and their dolls’ outfits, quilting, plants, water aerobics, and dinners with friends. In retirement, reading has become her No. 1 hobby. Wanda was an avid fan of her KU Jayhawks and Kansas City Chiefs.
Wanda is survived by her daughters, Lori Davis Russell (Martin), Gretna, Nebraska, and Joni Ketchum, Colby, Kansas; granddaughter Andrew Jace Ketchum (Kaileigh) of Ft. Collins, Colorado, and granddaughters, Jenna Rae (Ketchum) Wark (Kaid), Rexford, Kansas, and Grace Lori Russell, Gretna, Nebraska; sister Marilyn (Hess) Wiley, Sun City West, Arizona; and sister-in-law Betty (Williams) Hess, Winfield, Kansas, as well as numerous extended family members and friends. Her greatest joy over the past year has been the addition of great-grandson Wyatt Nelson Wark, born in May 2022.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband and brothers, Hazen Dean Hess and Ronald Dale Hess, as well as sister-in-law Donna (Garrett) Hess and brother-in-law Don Wiley. Her quest for doing things right, with integrity and having a high sense of responsibility has never been more evident than in the past year, as she achieved her goal of returning to her beloved home after a triumphant battle against oral cancer.
The viewing will take place on Wednesday 22 February 2023 from 5.00pm to 7.00pm at Baalmann’s Mortuary, Colby. The memorial service will be at 10.30am on Thursday 23 February 2023, at the mortuary, with interment in Beulah Cemetery, Colby.
Memorials honoring Wanda can be made to NWKareS Hospice Services or Thomas County Historical Society and mailed to Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 391, Colby, KS 67701. For information or condolences visit www.baalmannmortuary.com
