Now you're stuck!

Earlier today I had a Facebook memory pop up from 10 years ago regarding the day they dedicated the Liberty LePetite in my sister, Vanda Kay Schultze Frantz's name. A friend, Terri, wrote "I guess I was too far behind her to have known her Vic. Please tell me about her!"

So... you're now stuck Terri!  I am terribly biased.  I would hope you would concur she was gorgeous.  First, Terri - I am so appreciative you've asked.  When a loved one is gone, it's a really really good feel to have someone ask about them.  Unfortunately for you, I love to write, so that I will, yes, to answer you and try to explain 'her', but too, for me, because  I love this opportunity to brag on someone you love that's no longer here.

Vanda was born June 22, 1947 and packed a ton into her short-changed life that ended 51 years, 8 months and a day later.  Her sense of humor was unmatched.  Life = fun. If the tone of the room wasn't that way, it would be soon if she entered.

I took a short to go thru some old blogs to describe her in bits and pieces.  Soon, those.  She was loyal. Our family didn't fear the word love and it was tossed with frequency and genuineness.  There wasn't a guy in Liberty her age that didn't try to befriend me in hopes of that being a possible way to maybe capture a date with my sister.

She was an actress (in school.. and later in life).  She cofounded The Liberty Civic Theater group, acted in many a play, directed a few.  A baton twirler. 

Our father was a salesman. Wherever there was a job opportunity for him to make better pay to provide for our family, a U-Haul was rented, off we were.  In 1961, Vanda's sophomore year, it was the 19th house we'd lived in - and Liberty was the longest we'd ever lived anywhere. Upon learning "we're moving", Vanda exclaimed "NO WE'RE NOT." And, thank God, we didn't. She could dig her feet in like that!

Married twice, she had two daughters she doted over, and grandkids she double-triple doted over (not to mention my own kid.)

A few blog diddies:

Vanda, on purpose, was a major teaser, thus, she loved getting under the skin of her brother that was five years younger, me. Somewhere around her junior year, she would spend hours in the bathroom getting ready for a date, knowing I was within earshot, "Oh Vanda.. you are SO, SO, beautiful."  Little brother would run into the bathroom, stick two fingers down his throat, exclaim "GAG", she got the biggest kick out of herself, it bothered me so.  Now, what I wouldn't do to have that scene repeated.

I terribly miss Vanda K. Schultze, my sister. When siblings are youths, the teasing can be 'something'. When she was nine-ish (I was four), due to my red hair and freckles, the 'given right' to poke fun at a younger sibling, and the popularity of Mad Magazine, she called me Alfred E. Newman - infamous for his red-headed, freckled faced googy looking mug on the cover of Mad, with the moniker "What? Me Worry?". 

We'd go to a relative's house we hadn't seen in awhile.. and it was always "Isn't Vanda beautiful.. and isn't Victor... ahm, growing."

Levity, she was a lover of levity from Liberty. Levity helped us in a time of death. A few days after our mother's death, we had a three hour long, wonderful, needed, occasionally tear-filled visit (just Vanda and I) in her motor home in fronta our aunt's house. My sister had THE BEST smirk, prior to a great laugh.  Mid conversation she excused herself to go use the restroom, after she entered I heard this "CLICK". I actually laughed, it was just her and I n the motor home.  Upon her return I asked "Vanda!  You locked the door!  Did you honestly think you had to protect yourself from ME?"  There was that smirk, followed by her wonderful laugh.

Years back, Vanda bought a book all about past students of Liberty High School, and any updates they had on them. We had fun seeing who lived in Hawaii, where was the Homecoming King/Queen living from each of our classes, yada.  I had just switched jobs so I said "Hey, what does it say about me?"... she turned to the page and answered "Cradle robber" (I'd just married a gal almost 8 years younger than I.) Again, she won the tease contest.

My cousin Darrell, who Vanda adored, used to come to Liberty in the summer and we'd go to William Jewell, take blank paper, ink pens and run from this Kansas City Chief to that KC Chief begging for autographs.  Recently Darrell and I visited.  He showed me 3 wonderful pages of autographs we'd gotten from roughly 1964 or so.  Lenny Dawson, Bobby Bell, Hank Stram, Buck Buchanon, etc.  Maybe worth some pretty good money! Darrell then turns to the 3rd page, and right there in the middle was an autograph by "Orville Footstink."  Uh huh, her.  Apparently we'd gone out to play so she grabbed a pen and wrote in good ole Orville.

Vanda did quite well in her chosen field.  She started out as a Day Care teacher, moved to assistant director, director, regional manager, then divisional manager. One day, she and her boss were on a packed elevator.  Both she and my sister were 'somebody' in the small company, but really not known at all by anyone outside the company.  As they would arrive at their floor, and exit the elevator, Vanda turn, and tell those remaining on the elevator "Oh THANK YOU THANK YOU for pretending you didn't recognize her!"  They'd exit, both hee haw, and left those on the elevator wondering just who in the hell they didn't recognize. She also did this in long lines at airline counters.

Once, her three year old daughter was looking allover the house for her older sister. "Did you look in her bedroom?"  yes..  "In the bathroom?"   yes.. "The basement?"   yes..  "Did you look under the refrigerator?"   no.. (and then bent down to inspect to see if her sister was under there.) Vanda was about fun, even if sometimes it was only internal.

Vanda lived virtually every socio-economic lifestyle.  Single mom, on her own. And stages between that and finally a pretty darn good payday. She was the same person in every stage. After our mother's massive stroke, Vanda would take her on work road trips to give our mom something to do, but mainly because Vanda wanted to do that. That was her. Give enjoyment to those in her life.  It was never about her,

Her youngest daughter and I were visiting recently and she told me, "My entire life, I never heard mom say one bad word about anyone." I'm proud of her for that, and only wish I/we could all emulate.

She also wasn't all tease. She would take my family, her family, and our folks out to dinner, spring for all, and as we departed she would rave and thank us, eventually making US feel like we were the  ones to thank for the entire evening.  She would fill up car trunks on kids birthdays.  She would get on the floor, kid level, to visit with tykes.

A final example of how she could turn the tables and make it "all about you" instead of her.  Vanda got breast cancer. She took Plan B (stem cell therapy) versus double mastectomy. It worked, for 4 months.  It then metastasized into her brain. 72 consecutive days, my ex and I went to St. Lukes to see Vanda.  The day before she passed away, Marilyn and I entered her room, and it would be the very last legible words she would utter.  She looked up, face brightened, we were met with smile and "Baby Brother!"...

I wrote too much, but left out much. She was cheated in years, but she certainly wasn't cheated on what she packed in those years.

Terri, sorry to ramble, but again, thank you for asking.

Victor 

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