Wanda Bogardus

Wanda Lavonne Klington Christensen Bogardus, 93, went to her heavenly home on December 13, 2023, surrounded by her loving family in the care of EveryStep Kavanagh Hospice House.

Wanda was born on May 15, 1930, in Hebron, Iowa to Ralph and Sylvia (Silverthorne) Klingston. She attended one room schoolhouses at Grand River #5 for grades 1st-5th and Grand River #8 for 6th-8th. She rode her horse to school every day.

She married Harold Christensen on June 6, 1947, in Troy Kansas. The couple moved to Greenfield and to this union came 6 children. She ran a tight ship while keeping the house clean and working full and part-time. Upon Harold’s passing on December 14, 1972, Wanda moved to Adel, Iowa to attend school and later worked for McGladrey, Hansen and Pullen in Des Moines as office support.

On May 7, 1980, Wanda married James Bogardus. They made their home on an acreage outside of Desoto, Iowa. Together, they farmed this acreage while working at R&D in Earlham until 1992 when she retired.

Through the years, Wanda loved going out and working in the fields with Jim. They raised cattle and horses. She enjoyed sewing, gardening, and decorating her home. Along with making homecoming, prom, and wedding dresses for her daughters, she also made dolls and stuffed animals. She enjoyed spending time with her family when they visited her and loved talking on the phone. She and Sherry would end each conversation or visit with: I love you, Mom, to the moon and back and she would say to the stars and beyond. See you later, alligator…after a while, Crocodile.

Wanda was a kind, generous person with a sense of humor and a spicy attitude with a tendency to speak her mind, but she was always full of compliments and never hesitated to tell someone how beautiful they looked. She found great joy in watching or hearing of her grandchildren’s and great grandchildren’s participation and success in their academic, sporting events, musical performances, and life in general.

Wanda suffered a stroke in October 2022 and was placed at Spurgeon Manor and then moved to Morningstar at Jordan Creek in West Des Moines. Her granddaughter, Abby spent many hours helping care for Wanda and visited her almost daily. She was truly a blessing in caring for Wanda. Wanda’s great-grandchildren held a special spot in her heart, particularly Abby’s boys, Jamie and Jakob, as they visited her regularly.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Jim and her husband, Harold; her parents, Ralph and Sylvia Klingston; her brothers, Ralph Klingston Jr. and Earl Klingston; her brother-in-law, Joseph Funk; and her sisters-in-law, Barbara Klington and Muriel Klingston.

She is survived by her sister, Carol Funk; her children, Jerry Christensen, Diane Poure (Houston), Chuck Christensen, Doug Christensen (Jan), Sherry Dickerson (Randy), and Tod Christensen (Joyce); as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Heartfelt thank you to the staff at MorningStar Assisted Living at Jordan Creek who took amazing care of Wanda while she resided there. Also, to the nursing care team at Kavanaugh House where she spent her final time. As her caregivers noted, her wit, sense of humor and continued expression of gratitude and spiciness were intact until the end.

And so it’s the end: I love you, Mom, to the moon and back and to the stars and beyond. See you later, alligator…after a while, Crocodile.

A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m., Thursday, December 28, 2023 at the Calvary Baptist Church in DeSoto. Memorial contributions may be directed to EveryStep Kavanagh Hospice House (900 56th St, Des Moines, IA 5031).