Wanda June Powers Sharp 1939-2021 Obituary
On April 17, 1939 Francis K (Dorie) and Dovie L Powers gave birth to their 6th child, a baby girl whom they named Wanda June.
When she was around 20, she married the late George (Mac) McClain for a short time. It ended in a friendly divorce.
In a few years love would find her again with the marriage to the late Jack Goldsmith, this too was not a marriage made in heaven and ended in a divorce.
This marriage wasn’t all bad it produced three children. Yulonda June who’s been in heaven awaiting on her mother for the last 10 years. Jackie Lee Goldsmith who left this earth 4 months ago and Jolinda (Goldsmith) Effinger who was by her side when she took her last breath.
Wanda was born in Belington WV, raised in Pocahontas County, and attended Marlinton High School. Sometime in the 70’s Wanda attended nursing school at Davis and Elkins College, she would spend the next 30 plus years working as a nurse at Davis Memorial Hospital and the old Elkins Convalescent Center.
While working at Elkins Convalescent Center she met her third husband James (Jim) Bibey. Although there was a 20 plus year difference in their age, she raised a fine young man as a husband. I ‘m not really sure how long they were married the first time, but they divorced and remarried years later. During all the ups and downs of this marriage Jim produced a child which later Wanda and Jim adopted who is known today as Michael Shane Bibey.
As fate would have it the late George (Mac) McClain came back into the picture. Wanda reconnected with her ex-husband, and they were married a short time later. Although we thought this must be the one, it too ended in a mutual parting of ways (divorce) for the second time.
Uncle Mac as we called him, loved our family so much that he never left. He fell in love with Wanda’s sister Bernice, and they were happily married until her passing.
Sometime later Wanda reached out to the late Dharl Sharp an old high school boyfriend when she found out that his wife had passed away. This started a rekindling of the past and they were married within a few months. This marriage lasted for several years until she met the love of her life, another old high school sweetheart Eddie Sharp. I wish she could have had more time with him, but the lord took him home after they were married for about 3 years.
Her life reminds me of the song Julio Iglesias sings, “To all the Girls I’ve loved before”, but Wanda’s version would be “To all the Men I’ve loved before”.
We used to joke around and say she was trying to keep up with Liz Taylor.
One thing you could say about Wanda was she loved a lot in her lifetime.
She also loved the lord, she was a member of the Church of the Brethren in Elkins WV, and followed the teachings of Arnold Murry from Shepherds Chapel. Over the years she held many bible studies in her home with her family and friends.
Wanda was an excellent cook. Her homemade biscuits would put Betty Crocker out of business. Oh, and let’s talk about her peanut butter pies, they were out of this world.
If you would look up the word stubborn in the dictionary you would find Wanda’s picture. She was the most stubborn strong headed women you ever met, and story’s well let me tell you, you have never heard such a storyteller with a spin of yarn like Wanda would tell and what a jokester. Wanda loved to laugh and make others laugh with her. A joke would take on a whole new meaning after she embezzled it with her wit. Her magnetic personally caused everyone to gravitate to her at all our family functions and if needed she always had a shoulder to cry on.
Proceeding Wanda in this departure was her brothers Murl Powers and Russel Jerry Powers, her sisters Juanita Fansler, Bernice White McClain, Arveda Daman and Joyce Maize.
Still here to carry on family traditions is a sister Okareta Blake, brother in-law Johnny Maize and a special niece Debbie Shreve.
Wanda was blessed with 8 grandchildren Tisha Daman, Travis Goldsmith, Seth Goldsmith, Jessica Daugherty, Adam Goldsmith and Ezra Lowers, Jason Orr, and JD Orr and 10 Great grandchildren Laci Monroe, Kristen Daman, Hunter Daman, Bryson Connor Goldsmith, Cameron Lee Goldsmith, Nevaeh June Goldsmith, Andrew Bibey, Steven Collins, Ivy Moneypenny, and Madison Allman.
Still here to carry on her memory are several nieces, nephews and special friends Stacy and John Coffman who were helpful towards the last few years of her life.
After years of failing health, she went to be with her lord and savior on the morning of December 18, 2021
Wanda would appreciate donations to be made in her memory to the Church of the Brethren in Elkins WV
These are the glory days of my Aunt Wanda’s life as I knew her, by her niece Brenda Alvarado
The family will receive friends at the Lohr & Barb Funeral Home of Elkins from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Thursday, December 23, 2021. Final Rites will be conducted at the funeral home, Thursday, at 12:00 PM. Interment will follow at the Mountain State Memorial Gardens at Gilman, WV.
Wanda June Powers Sharp 1939-2021 Obituary
