Wauneta F. Shegogue of Winchester, VA left us to be with the Lord noon, Monday. She passed, sleeping peacefully in bed following a brief but sudden illness. Wauneta is survived by her sister Virginia F. Butler of Keizer, OR; two sons and daughters-in-law, Raymond L. Shegogue (Joyce Ann Cissel) of Cambridge, MD and Michael W. Shegogue (Virginia Kemp) of McLean, VA; five grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband of 69 years, Raymond H. Shegogue, Jr.; her parents Fred and Ruth Fankell of Clear, Lake, IA; brothers Lyle F. Fankell, Clear Lake, IA and William Bruce Fankell of Buena Park, CA; and her sister Wilma F. Garfin of Bellflower, CA.
A member of the “Greatest Generation,” Wauneta was born in the front room of her grandparent’s home in Webster City, IA. She grew up in nearby Clear Lake, graduating from Clear Lake High School in 1938 then attended the Hamilton School of Commerce in Mason City, IA, finding employment at Stoyles Press, also in Mason City. In 1940, she left home for Washington D.C. to work as a printer’s assistant at the Bureau of Engraving. Three years later, she moved across 14th Street to work as a personnel clerk in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s South Building, where she met the love of her life Ray. They married June 25th 1947 in Clear Lake. After the birth of her son Michael, Wauneta retired from federal civil service in September, 1953. She settled into homemaking, using her federal retirement contributions as down payment on the young family’s new home in Hillcrest Heights, MD, where they resided until 1983, before moving to a custom-built home in Winchester, VA for their retirement.
Wauneta spent most of her adult life caring for family. Besides her husband Ray and two sons, she took in and cared for both her mother and father-in-law, her widowed sister-in-law and daughter, and later her mother. She volunteered for many years with the Mother’s Auxiliary of the Silver Hill Boy’s Club, local PTAs and worked ten years for the Board of Elections in Prince George’s County, MD.
Wauneta’s passions were sports, contract bridge, reading, traveling and ball room dancing to Big Band music. The oldest of four children, in high school, Wauneta played short-fielder in softball and defensive guard in Iowa girls basketball, which did not permit players to cross half-court. Later, as an adult in Maryland, she also enjoyed duckpin-bowling and, in her latter year’s, watching the baseball Nationals and Orioles, the Redskins and Maryland Terp sports. She and Ray attended Super Bowls VII, XVII and XXII in support of the Redskins.
In Winchester, Wauneta and Ray supported the local chapter of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) organization, enjoyed reading to pre-school children and entertaining nursing home residents with their ballroom dancing. Wauneta and Ray’s great passion was dancing to Big Band music in various venues on the Eastern seaboard. Their dancing skill landed them a role as dancing extras on the silver screen in the 1982 Patsy Cline bio-pic, “Sweet Dreams.” Noted by the director for their fluid, graceful style, they were asked to dance back and forth before the camera in the film’s opening sequence.
Wauneta and Ray circled the globe multiple times, traveling to six continents, dancing on most of them as well as on cruise ships along the way, winning dance contests. They also visited each U. S. state capitol. Wauneta enjoyed a long, full life but was heart-broken after the loss of her beloved Ray twenty-one months ago and often prayed to be with him. Monday noon, her prayers were answered. They are dancing with the Lord now.
A funeral service will be at 2 pm on Saturday at Omps Funeral Home, South Chapel with Reverend David Bicking officiating. Entombment will be in Shenandoah Memorial Park Mausoleum. A reception will follow the entombment at Omps Funeral Home, South Chapel.