Wanda Mary Markwica

Wanda Mary Markwica (Marszal) of San Pedro, California, passed away on May 30, 2021, at the Vermont Care Center. One of 11 siblings, Wanda, was born on December 31, 1933, in Meriden Connecticut to Frank and Agnes Marszal. She and Stan Markwica had two sons, Brian and Wayne.
Wanda lived her life by one word, moxie (n, force of character, determination, or nerve). She was an incredibly positive person that loved great food, adventure, and a little bit of mischief.
Her love of food helped her run a quick-serve Louisiana-style restaurant while she raised her kids. Her moxie allowed her to stop an armed burglar in his tracks when he tried to rob the restaurant. Most people would have given the burglar with a gun their money, but Wanda looked him dead in the eyes and said, “No. This isn’t your money. I worked hard, I earned it, and you need to get out, or I’m calling the police!”. The burglar looked at her stunned, and ended up running away with $0 in hand!
Wanda’s sense of adventure never ceased. After the restaurant, Wanda worked as a caretaker for the elderly until Irene invited her to move from Louisiana to California so they could live together. Wanda packed her things (including an elderly reddish cattle dog named Amber) while Irene flew out to make the drive.
Her moxie shone through even on that 26-hour drive when she got pulled over for speeding. Most people would have accepted a speeding ticket. But, instead, when the officer approached, Wanda told him she had taken a laxative the night prior and was speeding to make it to the bathroom in time. Wanda would always tell you that the officer was so shocked that these ‘two old ladies and this old dog came up with an excuse like that, that he didn’t know what to do’ and instead of writing them a ticket, he just told them to slow down and be safe. Both Irene and Wanda claim they watched him walk back to the car with his shoulders shaking from laughter.
Wanda loved mischief, whether playing harmless pranks on Irene, sneaking food scraps under the table for all pets, or gambling. She loved challenging anyone to a Scrabble game, although if you knew her, you knew challenging her to a game was a losing battle, she won every time. That moxie always shone through during her bouts of mischief, especially in Las Vegas. She would gamble penny slots until the early hours of the morning, stopping only to enjoy delicious food while claiming that her ‘diet would start tomorrow’. Somehow, she always came back from Vegas as a winner.
Wanda had a beautiful life in California and enjoyed every minute of it. She was an integral part of her niece and nephew, Alex and Justin’s lives, and was always happy to enjoy a day over a good meal, diet coke, and delicious dessert. Anyone that crossed paths with Wanda loved her; she was welcome everywhere.
Even as Wanda developed dementia, her bubbly personality, charm, and moxie shone through. She attended a program from the Salvation Army called Sage house, where she was known for teaching everyone how to Polka Dance.
Wanda is survived by her youngest son, Wayne, his wife Sandy, their children Victoria and Abigail, and her sister Irene Hasserjian, the Palmer family (Lynda Hasserjian Palmer, Gary Palmer, Alex Palmer Boese, and Justin Palmer), the Marszal family, and the Hasserjian family. All families and friends of Wanda have been inspired greatly by and are appreciative of the time they got to spend with her. She is and will always be loved by all. Although the family mourns the loss on earth, they remain grateful that her spirit and joy will live on in all of us.