Wanda Peters believed in looking her best as well as doing her best every day.

“As far back I can remember, Mama when she got up in the morning would dress as if she was going out. She put on her pantyhose, her makeup and fixed her hair. I never ever seen her sloppy looking. Most days she didn’t go out. She stayed at home, did the laundry, housework, and cooked meals, but she looked good doing it,” said her daughter, Gail Bishop.

Wanda, 95, died Nov. 26 at Ivy Hall Nursing Home, where she had resided for about a year and a half.

“The thing I remember most about my mother was I never seen her angry, depressed, nor did I ever hear her complain. She was usually very cheerful,” said Gail. “She was an amazing person, and I’m realizing that more and more.”

Wanda was a Stoney Creek native, the daughter of Elbert C. and Golda Hardin Grindstaff. She was one of nine children born to the couple. Three died in infancy.

She was the widow of Ray Peters, who died in 1986. The couple ran a small grocery store in the Hunter community for several years. She and her husband lived on Stoney Creek until they moved to Main Street in Elizabethton before his death.

“Mama enjoyed her family, especially her grandchildren. In earlier years she enjoyed cross-stitching, embroidering, and quilting. When my sister, Sandra, and I were in elementary school, she made all our clothes as well as hers,” said Gail. “A few years ago she made me a hummingbird quilt. She had to give up all her needlework a few years back due to her failing eye sight,” shared Gail.

Wanda enjoyed music and playing the piano. “Some of my earliest memories of her was her love of music. She was constantly whistling, humming or singing when she was working around the house,” Gail said.

Wanda possessed a strong faith, and in earlier years had taught Sunday School. She was a member of First Free Will Baptist Church, but also attended Watauga Valley Free Will Baptist Church and Milligan Free Will Baptist Church. “She was an encourager, and her goal every year was to read the Bible through. It’s untelling how many times she had read the Bible through,” said Gail.

Up until she went to the nursing home, Wanda was a very spry person, doing her own housework, laundry, and cooking. Her daughter shared that Wanda seldom had to ever take any medication.

“She was a very thoughtful and considerate person and she brought me and my sister up right. Her best legacy to us was her attitude and spirit. She was a very cheerful person and laughed a lot. I hope that as I grow older I have more and more of that same attitude and spirt,” said Gail.

I’m sure Wanda Peters has a place in the Master’s choir and today is humming, whistling, or singing a tune. Moreover, I’m sure she’s looking her best.