Mariana Ruth (Atwood) Wansa

Mariana Wansa, 90, died peacefully December 28, 2019 with her son and daughter-in-law at her side.

Mariana was born on Tuesday, February 5, 1929 in the remote copper mining town of Ajo, Arizona to Dr. and Mrs. Harry D. Atwood. Mariana remembered the Great Depression of the 1930s as a time when her father was often paid for his medical services through barter. A father paid for his son’s tonsillectomy by painting the Atwood’s living and dining rooms. A mother washed and ironed clothes for the Atwoods for a period of time after her daughter was treated for a lingering disease. After a difficult childbirth, one father built a beautiful tile-inlaid coffee table for the Atwoods.

During World War II Mariana and her high school classmates hosted musical performances and dances to entertain U.S. Army Air Corps pilots and Chinese Air Force flyers training at the nearby desert bombing range.

Mariana attended the University of Arizona in the late 1940s and early 1950s minoring in music (Voice and Piano) and earning a degree in education. She taught in schools in Arizona, California, and on the small island of Lanai in the Territory of Hawaii.

Mariana enjoyed playing golf and usually kept a set of clubs in the trunk of her Chevy Sedan. On a beautiful morning in Los Angeles she drove to a driving range along Wilshire Boulevard. Despite having forgotten her golf shoes she bought a large bucket of balls, found an open spot in the line of golfers on the range, and began hitting some mid-iron shots, and hitting them quite well as she later recalled. In the next tee box, someone else was hitting them quite well also. This man even had a caddy with him. After Mariana hit a few more shots, a familiar voice crooned, “You have a nice swing!” Mariana looked up and recognized Dean Martin – THE Dean Martin of Martin and (Jerry) Lewis fame, the two biggest stars in Hollywood at the time. Dean Martin continued, “If you don’t mind a little advice, I recommend you get yourself a good pair of golf shoes. You’ll get more out of that great swing.” Years later Mariana said, “He was so nice. But I became so nervous I could barely hit the ball.”

A few years later a serious automobile accident in Phoenix left Mariana with a broken back that ended her golfing days and left her with chronic back pain for the rest of her life. Before the accident, Mariana had met a golf teacher and World War II navy veteran named Timothy Wansa. He visited her often during her recovery and shared his experiences during the war. Mariana remembered that Tim loved to talk about his days on the USS Wasp, an aircraft carrier that saw action in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Tim somberly recalled the day during the Guadalcanal campaign when the Wasp was struck by torpedoes from a Japanese submarine. He lost a good friend who was killed just a couple of feet from him in an explosion that left Tim unscathed.

These two survivors, one physically scarred the other emotionally wounded, married and moved to San Francisco where Tim worked at a local golf club. Their one child, a son, was born in 1957. Their marriage, marked by several separations and reconciliations, eventually ended. Neither remarried and both held the other in high regard for the remainder of their lives.

Mariana returned to school in the 1970s and earned a degree as a Registered Nurse. She worked in hospitals and nursing homes California, Arizona, and New Mexico.

Mariana retired early and entered the Catholic Church where she found great peace. She would point to a Crucifix and say, “I can now unite my aches and pains with His great sufferings.” She spent much of her time in solitude reading the Bible and the writings of the great saints: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Louis de Montfort, St. Therese of Lisieux, and many more. She prayed 4 or 5 Rosaries a day for the Church, her family, the unborn, and the world.

Mariana is survived by her son Mark and his wife Dolores; two granddaughters, Rachel Pippin (Justin) and Charlotte Wansa; and two great-grandchildren, Audrey Pippin and Dylan Pippin.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Project Defending Life at defendinglife.org

Rosary will begin on Thursday, January 9, 2020 at 10:00 a.m., followed by Mass at 10:30 a.m., both at Aquinas Newman Center, University of New Mexico campus, 1815 Las Lomas Road NE, Albuquerque, 87106. Interment will follow at Mount Calvary Cemetery, 1900 Edith Blvd. NE, 87102.  Reception will follow at the home of Mark and Dolores Wansa, 200 Edith Blvd. NE, 87102.