WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
Frances Helen (Mast) Wunder, age 99, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away Monday afternoon, June 6, 2011, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis.
She was born Oct. 16, 1911, in LaGrange County, Ind., a daughter of the late Jesse and Frances (Jones) Mast.
Mrs. Wunder’s early life was spent in northern Indiana. She lived several years in Speedway, Ind., returning to the Sturgis area where she had lived for many years.
On Oct. 16, 1931, she married Kendall Ford Wunder. He died Sept. 2, 1988.
Mrs. Wunder was a dedicated wife and mother. While living in Speedway, Ind., she had worked as a secretary for the Speedway Christian Church and had also worked in the accounts payable department at Allison in Speedway.
She was a former active member of the Speedway Christian Church where she had served as part-time church organist and loved playing the piano at many children’s Sunday school programs. She was a current member of the First Congregational Church in Constantine, the Mintdale Woman’s Club and the Sharps and Flats Organ Club.
She is survived by one daughter, Beverly May (Wunder) Walls of Speedway, Ind.; one son, Ben C. (Patricia) Wunder of Ohio; four grandchildren, Jennifer Lee Wunder, Randal Alan Wunder, Jay Todd Walls and Van Shell Walls; one great-grandson, Jay Todd “J.J.” Walls, Jr., two nephews, Dr. Jeffrey Mast and Walter Mast, two nieces, Betsy Mast Reid and Nancy Mast Mock.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; and two brothers, Gerald D. Mast and Willard Mast.
The family will receive friends from noon-1:45 p.m. Thursday at the Hackman Family Funeral Homes – Hackman Chapel, 114 S. Nottawa St., Sturgis, MI 49091, (269) 651-2331. Funeral services celebrating the life of Helen Wunder will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. The Rev. Marilyn Schlimgen of the First Congregational Church of Constantine will officiate. A graveside committal will follow the service at Maple Grove Cemetery in Topeka, Ind.
The family suggests those wishing to make a memorial donation in Mrs. Wunder’s memory consider the First Congregational Church, 360 S. Washington St., Constantine, MI 49042 or the Mintdale Woman’s Club, c/o: Diane Bower, 22479 Airline Rd., Sturgis, MI 49091.
The obituary is also at www.hackman familyfuneralhome.com where personal messages of support may be left for the family.
