Wanda Lee Bishop

August 13, 1934 - April 27, 2022

Wanda Lee Bishop, daughter of the late Don & Louise Barnes, was born August 13, 1934 and passed away April 27, 2022 at the age of 87. Wanda was born in Alva, Oklahoma and attended a one-room schoolhouse. She was a farm girl and a daddy's girl: she was always by her father's side. She would cry any time he went to town without her, foreshadowing her love of business & travel. She spent most of her adult life running businesses all over the U.S. alongside her late husband, Walter Bishop, whom she met when both were still in high school. She was a waitress, and he was a customer. It was destiny: once they started dating, while going through one of Wanda's scrapbooks, Walter recognized a horse named Pat in one of the photographs. Both of their families had owned the same horse! They were married for 64 years, from August 17, 1952 until Walter's passing on September 28, 2016. Though Walter & Wanda left the farm of their youth in search of broader horizons, the farm never left their hearts. As their retirement "hobby", they purchased 8 emu chicks and 40 acres in Claremore, Oklahoma where they started their business selling emu oil products. They owned as many as 150 birds and even designed their own product together, the Awesome Comfort Rub, a topical pain reliever. They were never in business for the money. Their joy came from helping people. Wanda touched the hearts of innumerable people through her work, and never complained about anything (except Walter...but they never fought...they had "heated discussions"!) They were a phenomenal pair that inspired many with their love, joy, and unstoppable spirit. Wanda is survived by her daughter, Tricia & husband Russell; her son, Bill; her four grandchildren, Allison Winslow of Oklahoma and Nick Winslow of Kansas, and Cody & Krysty Bishop of Oklahoma; her daughter-in-laws Stephanie Ostrander Bishop and Debbie Bishop; Nita Benson, her sister-in-law and best friend; Bill Demmick of Texas & Cecilia R. Ellis of Idaho, her surviving classmates; and her dear friends Jody Smith & Beverly Kennedy