Heaven added a truly beautiful voice to the Lord's angelic choir on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021, with the passing of Wanda Maryetta Olson (Morrow). She was born on Tuesday, April 25, 1950, to Ella and Merle Olson and was the youngest of six children.
She grew up in an iconic era when different music was becoming more accepted, and the boundaries were being pushed. She grew up loving Patsy Cline, Buck Owens, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and so many more. Her ability to belt out her incredible voice really took off at the age of 14. She even recorded a record at that young age. She learned to play the bass guitar and perfected her craft throughout her career. Wanda went to cosmetology school to gain her degree and continued to play music on the side.
She married the love of her life, Lynn, and together they had three children, Richard, Tami and Mandi. With their family complete and children growing, they became more interested in getting out of the city life of the Portland area, so they moved to Pine Grove and settled out on two acres. Lynn worked at the mill and Wanda opened her own beauty salon. Together they eventually opened the Red Rooster Cafe in Maupin, which served many before and after work in the community for years. They both were working two jobs at the time. And she was playing music on the weekends.
She passed the love and talent of music on to her son Richard and together they were in a long-time local band. Coyote Pointe Band was comprised of Wanda, Richard, Bob Breon and Joe Schable. They had a regular circuit of local saloons they played for years. As time changed and people’s lives changed, so did music, family and living location. Eventually moving to Dufur, then The Dalles, Wanda became a Jackie of all trades through the years. She truly loved learning and experiencing new things. She loved working with people and her range of skills grew immensely with different jobs she conquered. She was always in the lead/management position. She did everything from manage eye glass stores, learn the new cellular technology when it first exploded on scene, to literally driving cross country as a semi-truck driver with Swift trucking. She could back those semis into some of the tightest bays better than half the men out there. Didn’t hurt that she had Lynn with her on that adventure to help teach her even more along the way.
Though Lynn and Wanda divorced after 27 years of marriage, they continued to be friends and always were each other’s go to. Wanda continued to work as a beautician throughout the years and maintained a steady clientele. She gained friendships from all those years from her true passion of beauty and music. She touched more lives than we will ever know. She joined local jam sessions as long as she could. She was always in the pursuit of the next adventure from buying a motorcycle to learning a new instrument. She had a passion for life.
Wanda had a very beautiful and blessed life with many friends and family. She had nine grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and two great-grandchildren on the way. She is proceeded in death by her husband of 27 years, Lynn Morrow. She is survived by her loving and supportive family, Richard and Tia Morrow and their children, Megan, Mercedes (Tim) Chance, Mallory, and McKenzie (Tessa) Morrow; Tami and Chad McDonald and their two children Chance and Teneille (Tyler) McDonald; Dax and Mandi and their three children, Azure, Raif and Cloe Logsdon; and many more friends and extended family. A celebration of life will be held at a later date
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