Wanda Hill Willis

Wanda Hill Willis, 89, of Harkers Island, passed away at Crystal Coast Hospice House on Saturday, October 27, 2018.

Her service will be held at 2:00 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2018, at the Free Grace Wesleyan Church on Ferry Dock Road, Harkers Island officiated by  Rev. Lee Pittard and Rev. David Harrington. Interment will follow at the Angeline Willis Cemetery on Lily Bell Lane, Harkers Island.

Wanda was born on January 21, 1929, “down the lane” on Marshallberg to parents Ulysses and Harriet Davis Hill.  She was their only daughter and learned early the responsibilities of work and family. She was a graduate of the Smyrna High School Class of 1945, a group of 11 boys and 11 girls who now, 73 years later still hold class reunions as often as possible.

She attended business school at the “Old Morehead City High School,” while working at Roses on Arendell Street. From there she worked as at the “Welfare Department” for Carteret County for several years, until she took a job at Cherry Point in 1951. There she met many lifelong friends including her husband, Ikie of Harkers Island. They were married in April 1954.

Soon after marrying they built a home on family land along the shore of Red Hill, Harkers Island, and there they raised a family and made a life for their two children, Karen and Mark. “Miss Wanda’s” was home to the neighborhood, where she fed the neighborhood children and tended to the older family members around her. Her big yard and small home were often filled with boys and girls from all over the island, hosting ballgames and playing at the landing.

She returned to work after the children were grown and became part of the R.E.A. history on Harkers Island. She loved her coworkers there and especially enjoyed visiting with Island residents who came every month to pay their “light bills.” At that time, the R.E.A. was a gathering place for Island people and their stories, and she loved being part of the Island’s “welcome center” as the Island grew.

She was an active member of the Harkers Island United Methodist Church working in church and community her entire life, teaching Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, active in the United Methodist Women, serving as grade mother, and always cooking for whatever the cause was at the time. Her “Hurricane Cake Recipe” was recognized by Good Housekeeping magazine in 1989 and helped make the Harkers Island cookbook a best-seller nationwide and her “stew-beef-and-rutabagas” helped build the Core Sound Museum. Her kitchen table welcomed many traveling preachers, MYF groups, ballplayers, family members, and friends from far and wide to enjoy her cooking and hospitality.

She was an avid reader and appreciated visiting new places.  She and Ikie spent their retirement years taking bus trips, attending ballgames, listening to the Statler Brothers, and exploring historic sites.  She loved learning and meeting people from all different places, but kept her heart close to home and family. She loved her children and grandchildren beyond measure, applauded their successes and held them close no matter how difficult the way. She held onto friends for a lifetime, leaving many behind to mourn her passing, but none more than her lifelong best friend, Edna, whose friendship began in seventh grade and grew stronger over the years. All who knew her will miss her stories and sayings, her wit and keen mind. She was loved by all who knew her.

She is survived by her two children.  Karen Willis Amspacher and husband Jimmy of Marshallberg and Mark Willis of Beaufort, two grandchildren, William Casey Amspacher of Brooklyn, NY and Sarah Katelyn Amspacher of Marshallberg; brother Ernest Hill and wife Christine of Beaufort, along with nieces, nephews and many cousins throughout Down East. She also leaves behind many friends who have spent countless hours visiting with her over the past several years when her health would not allow her to do the things she loved. The family wishes to thank Dr. Alonzo Davis for his kindness, friendship and gentle care for more than 20 years.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Ikie, her parents, Ulysses and Harriet Hill, and brothers Wilbur Hill and John Hill.

Visitation will be held Wednesday evening 6-8 at the church.  All are invited to join the family for lunch beginning at noon prior to the service on Thursday at the Free Grace Wesleyan Fellowship Hall.  All are welcome. The family wishes to thank the Wesleyan Church for welcoming us into their church while the Methodist Church undergoes repairs.

Memorial donations may be made in her name to the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center Hurricane Recovery Fund, PO Box 556, Harkers Island, NC, 28531.

Online condolences may be made at www.mundenfuneralhome.net

Arrangements are by Munden Funeral Home & Crematory, Morehead City, NC.