Obituary of Wanda Jean Jorgensen

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Jorgensen Services Link

Wanda Jean Jorgensen, 61, passed away peacefully in her home in Boise, ID, surrounded by her husband and her children on February 19th, 2024 after battling pancreatic cancer for a year and a half. 

Wanda was born March 3, 1962 in a snowstorm in Cut Bank, MT to the late Edward and Holly Vanderpoel. Wanda was the middle of three sisters, Janet and Shari, who grew up farming with their parents in Cut Bank, and later, during Wanda’s high school years, in Coffee Creek, MT. Wanda spoke fondly of growing up farming with her parents and sisters. Their “family fun time” included picking rocks and building fences all the while singing songs, mostly Glen Campbell. She described herself as a tom boy who loved being outside working in the yard, garden, and helping with the many farm tasks including summerfallow and harvest. In high school, she worked off-farm jobs as well:  she was a waitress at the Denton cafe and helped with housekeeping for area women. She also learned cooking, baking, housekeeping, decorating and sewing from her mother.

Wanda excelled in school, graduating from Denton High School in 1980 as class valedictorian. She was also involved in track, band, choir, cheerleading, and the senior play. After high school, Wanda attended one year at  Montana Institute of the Bible where she participated in a singing group, Sandalwood.  They toured Alaska, sharing the ministry of M.I.B.  Faith continued to be a large part of Wanda’s life and was a comfort to her in her later days. Wanda later settled in Renton, WA and then Maple Valley, WA. 

Wanda started working for Costco Wholesale in 1998 and fell in love with the company. She held a variety of positions, starting as a seasonal employee and later working in administration, payroll, buying departments, real estate and accounting. Through her time working in payroll she impacted many lives, patiently explaining benefits and the importance of 401ks. There are many young people who are now set up for retirement because of her. Wanda shared the love of Costco with her kids, and eventually they would all work for Costco during their high school and college years. Two of her children even met their spouses at Costco. It was very common to hear: “oh, you’re Wanda’s son/daughter!” followed by a huge smile and a story of something she had done to help them. Wanda gained many friendships with her coworkers through her time at Costco and had cherished memories and great stories from her time there.

In 2015, Wanda decided to pick up a part time seasonal position at Pottery Barn. Wanda had a love for decorating her home and it allowed her to use her creativity. Just like with Costco, a seasonal position turned into a long term part-time role that brought her a lot of joy. She developed great relationships with her coworkers and even customers throughout the years. 

In 2021, Wanda moved to Boise, ID with her husband , Jim Jorgensen. They were able to live less than a mile away from her oldest daughter and her family and enjoyed many visits from her other children and their families while living in Boise.

She is preceded in death by her parents She is survived by her husband of 25 years, Jim, children Sharon (Rudy) Ozuna, Kristi (Joe) Wisniewski, stepson Seth (Raquel) Jorgensen, and Dillon (Hannah) May; grandchildren Ayden Ozuna (19), Max Ozuna (8), Jackson Wisniewski (9), and Gavin Wisniewski (8); sisters Janet Antozzi and Shari (Bob) Grubb, nephew Tom (Taylor) Grubb, and niece Julia Grubb. 

Wanda’s family will always have fond memories of her passions in life - going for walks and runs, stopping at open houses, shopping for home decor, baking, visiting Chelan, WA; Bend, OR; and Hawaii; and spending time with her family.

Wanda’s kids each inherited some of her greatest gifts. Sharon will love thinking of her every time she rearranges and decorates her home or enjoys an open house. Kristi will always think of mom when she is crunching numbers or figuring out some complex accounting issue. And Dillon will always be able to carry her memory on one of their favorite activities - running. 

A Service of Remembrance will be held on Friday, March 1st, 2024 2pm atSummers Funeral Home in Meridian, ID.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to support the ministry of Hannah May with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Coastal Virginia. Donations can be made here at

https://my.fca.org/?form=hannahmay&keyword=Hannah%20May