Wanda Laurene Rogers was born December 4, 1924, in Bristow, Creek County, Oklahoma, the oldest of two daughters born to David William Rogers and Marion E. Carter. After graduating from Gypsy High School, Wanda attended East Central State College in Ada, Oklahoma. She taught 3 ^rd and 4 ^th grade at Milfay, Oklahoma before moving to Dallas in 1947, where she began working as a bookkeeper for the Dallas Housing Authority first in the West Dallas Housing Project and later at their Central Office. In 1949, she married Harold Lanny McCollum, a maintenance man at the housing authority. They were married on December 15th in Bristow. She and her husband retired in 1980, and moved to Linden, Texas where they lived until his death in 1983. After Harold's death, she moved near her sister's family in Athens, Texas, then to Horseheads, NY, before finally settling in Carthage.

Next to her family and her husband, was her love of southern gospel music. Her interest started early when as a young girl she sang bass for a quartet with her three cousins. Later she attended the Hartford Music School and learned piano from Fern Waits and Doy Ott. After moving to Dallas, she attended the Stamps-Baxter School of Music. She sang with R. A. Stinson, Lloyd Skaggs, and Jimmie Grisham in the Stamps Tru-Tone Quartet performing weekend concerts and radio programs. She and her husband spent many weekends traveling across the south attending southern gospel singing conventions.

Wanda passed away peacefully on Saturday morning, February 17, 2018, at home in Carthage.

She is survived by her sister, Marlene Rogers Fitts; nephew, Skip Fitts and his wife Jenice; and great-nephews, David Fitts and his wife Taylor and Matt Fitts all of Carthage.

A visitation will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, February 18, 2018, at Jimerson-Lipsey Funeral Home, Carthage, Texas. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday at Jimerson-Lipsey Funeral Home Chapel with Freddy Mason and Larry Tart officiating. A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday at Stroud Cemetery, Stroud, Oklahoma.

Pallbearers are David Fitts, Matt Fitts, Jeremy Hight, John Hight, and Trevor Wedgeworth.

Honorary pallbearers are Shane Cockerham, Shannon Davis, and Jesse Hight.

Memorials may be made to the Texas Southern Gospel School of Music, 305 Trailwood Drive, Crockett, Texas 75835.

A guestbook may be signed online at www.jimerson-lipsey.com.