Wanda Kelley Lathen

SUN CITY - Wanda Kelley Lathen passed away peacefully at home, with her five surviving children by her side, on Sunday, May 15, 2016. Wanda was born on the family farm in Witten, S.D., on Nov. 7, 1918, to William Peter and Margaret Sweeney Kelley. After graduating from school, she taught in a one-room schoolhouse in rural South Dakota. She later worked as a bookkeeper and moved to Washington, D.C. to help with the war effort. She married Hoyt W. Lathen in 1947 in Winner, S.D., and dedicated herself to raising their six children. In 1956, the family moved to Minnesota and in 1980 Hoyt and Wanda retired to Sun City. Wanda was a devout Catholic, and served as a member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas for 76 years. She was an expert bridge player and enjoyed her last game of bridge one week before passing on. She was an exceptionally strong woman and always looked for the good in people. She is known for her selfless ways and her Irish red hair. She is survived by five children, Sara, Janice, William, Margaret (Jim Branan), Robert (Amy); nine grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; a sister-in-law; a son-in-law; and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Hoyt Lathen; a daughter, Patricia Klobe; a granddaughter, Victoria Tenorio; and four siblings. A memorial mass will be held at St. Clement of Rome Catholic Church, 15800 N. Del Webb Blvd., Sun City, on July 9, 2016 at 10 a.m. If you would like to honor Wanda's memory, a contribution may be made to a non-profit organization that her daughter founded and manages, which provides Educating-Through-Technology programs for students in rural Tanzania: Powering Potential, PO Box 230973, New York, NY, 10023, www.poweringpo tential.org