Wanda Sinkey passed away of natural causes Jan. 1 at Sacred Heat Medical Center in Springfield, surrounded by her family. She was 89 years old.

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Wanda was the oldest of five children of Bob and Pauline Morrison. Wanda grew up in the midst of the Great Depression, the circumstances of which shaped her entire life. She learned how to make do with what she had and was incredibly resourceful. Stories of growing up in a two-bedroom house with two brothers and two sisters were always great entertainment at family gatherings. Wanda was an accomplished seamstress and a talented artist and piano player.

Wanda met the love of her life, a “cute sailor,” Don Sinkey, in class at the University of Utah in 1945. They married in 1946. Wanda completed her LPN training, and Don was accepted into the University of Iowa School of Medicine. They packed up their daughter, Stephanie, and moved to Iowa in a 1949 green Plymouth. Don went to medical school by day, while Wanda worked as an LPN at night in the university hospital. Their two sons, Bruce and Mark, were born while the family lived in Iowa. After obtaining his MD, Don moved the family west to Prairie City in 1955. Don soon received an offer to join the medical practice at the Burns Clinic, prompting the move to Burns in 1956.

Wanda was an avid golfer, winning awards and tournaments in 1961, 1962, 1967, and 1968. She was president of the Harney County Civic Music Association from 1969-1971. In February 1961, she was voted the Burns Times-Herald Woman of the Week, an honor of which she was very proud. She was a member of the Harney County Horsewomen, and their president in 1963.

Wanda and Don both learned to fly and purchased a Cessna 182, which they flew to the rural airstrips in Eastern Oregon and Idaho. They were avid hunters, fishermen, campers, and loved to water and snow ski. They both held special regard for the Steens, with Fish Lake being their favorite spot on the mountain.

In 1972, the couple moved to Eagle, Idaho, where Wanda obtained her RN degree from Boise State University. Wanda was a neonatal intensive care nurse, and Don was an emergency room physician in Boise for the remainder of their careers. In 1989, they retired and moved to Eugene to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Throughout their retirement, Wanda and Don traveled extensively, living in Arizona most winters and in Oregon the rest of the year. They truly enjoyed life, each other, and their family.

Wanda is survived by her siblings, Marilyn Ryan, Gerry Morrison, and Arling Morrison; children, Stephanie Sinkey, Bruce Sinkey, and Mark Sinkey; daughters-in-law, Carlotta Sinkey and Marian Sinkey; grandchildren, Marilyn Wilber, Marea Wilber, Cody Wilber, Caitlyn Sinkey-Kjemperud, Nick Kjemperud, Shannon Sinkey, Christopher Sinkey, and Erica Sinkey; great-grandchildren, Sadie Dean, Emily Dean, Joe Wilber, Skye Wilber, Cailyn Wilber, Sean Wilber, and Addie Kjemperud; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Don, in 2014.

A celebration of Wanda’s life will be held June 9 at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in Springfield.