Obituaries

Wanda Lee Holleman Strickland Norton was born on July 3, 1934 in Rose Bud, Arkansas, to Herbert Clyde and Nora Elizabeth Holleman. When she was 2, the family moved to California for about 5 years before returning to Arkansas in 1941. They returned to California in 1943 settling in Bell Gardens. Wanda graduated from Bell Gardens High School in 1952. She married a classmate in June, 1952.
Her husband was in the Air Force, which necessitated a move to Alberquerque, New Mexico. Daughter Debra Susan was born in 1957. Wanda was a stay at home mom to her daughters for several years and spent time doing things like making doll clothes for her daughters’ doll collection. They divorced in 1965.
After reconnecting with high school classmate Mark Norton, Mark and Wanda married on May 4, 1973. They lived in Orange, California for several years. During this time, Wanda worked for the Hertz Car Rental Corporation. The Norton’s moved to Wrightwood, Ca. in 1978. Although they built a custom dream house there, a couple of winters motivated them to make a part time move to Palm Springs in 1986. Soon after, the move became permanent as they settled into the desert lifestyle. During the ensuing years, Wanda volunteered her time for several local organizations. These included the Institute for the Blind for over 3 years and for the Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament for almost 30 years. Wanda passed away quietly at home on Sunday, June 30, 2019, in the presence of family. She is survived by husband Mark, daughters Debra and Karen, stepsons Randy and Larry, and 11 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. The Celebration of Life will be Tuesday, July 9, 2019 at Wiefels Chapel, 690 S. Vella Rd, Palm Springs, California, 11am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center at barbarasinatrachildrencenter.org" in Wanda’s name. Services are in care of Wiefels Funeral Home in Palm Springs.

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