12 in 20/ Wannetta

Welcome to my 12 in 20 series, where once a month for a year I highlight a woman who has found and is following her passions! I hope that you enjoy each story, find yourself in them, they are wonderful women. I am blessed to highlight them and to share their story with you. Thank you for joining me in the fifth post in the series.

Sometimes the passions of a woman are born from the traumas of her childhood. This truth, however hard, is what molds a person to become who they are. Somehow, because they have endured trauma they do not become hardened to the world- they become one with it. This is the story of Wannetta.

If you want to find out the heart of a human you can look to see how they treat the most vulnerable among us. I do not refer to other humans, but rather every other creature God has created. There is no better friend to nature then Wannetta.

Her story starts on a sad note, and really doesn’t crack enough to let the sunshine in until much later in her life. Born the last child and only female to her parents, her mothers health was not good. She spent a great deal of time with her Uncle Hugh and her Aunt Flossie. Wannetta loved her Aunt dearly, and she came to believe in her heart and mind that Aunt Flossie was her mother, even calling her Mom. She stayed between “home” and her Aunt’s Chicago home, while her parents and three brothers all lived together. At age three her mother passed, and not knowing how he would raise this little girl alone with three sons at home, her Father allowed her to be raised in the city by her Aunt and Uncle- a life which she enjoyed. Then, at age five her Father remarried, and soon he came for his daughter. Wannetta can recall a literal tug of war between her father and his sister, she being the rope as they both fought for their “daughter.” Her life would be turned upside down for decades to come. Her father had won, and she left all she knew, for a home she didn’t know and didn’t care to be in.

Wannetta could not find solace at home. She would never have the type of relationship a girl would want with her father, and her traumas forced her to spend a great deal of time outside. She became a fierce tennis player who could beat semi-pro players, both female and male. Spending hours and hours on the court perfecting her game. She found refuge on the softball fields as well, playing center field and left field. The rules stated a girl was suppose to be thirteen to join the league- but at age ten with a nod and a willingness to turn a blind eye by the league, she was encouraged to sign up and lie about her age. So she did. Wannetta would go on to play well into adulthood and was proud to be named the All Star in 1970’s Midwest Semi-pro tournament series. She was twenty five and at the top of her athletic game. But this did not translate to everyday life. She lacked confidence when not on a field or court. She recalls being in a therapy session, the group had for the first time openly talked about their lives in a group setting, and it got very intense very quickly. Peoples stories were brutal and painful, she recalls that the two therapists ended the meeting in tears and visibly shook themselves by what they had heard. Upon meeting again, they asked how everyone had handled the intensity of that last meeting and most had not feared well. They had held up in bed in the fetal position for days, crying and struggling. Wannetta recalls that she had gone that day and played softball, she had always taken refuge outside- it was where she found peace.

Just because she had excelled on the field and would receive great accolades, times were still not kind to her. She wasn’t like the other girls who would wear dresses and act ladylike, times were different and she wasn’t held up as the achiever she was because she was ahead of her time. Women athletes were not revered as they are in today’s society. She is grateful that times have changed for women athletes. I’m sure players like herself paved the way.

Time as we know moves on, and Wannetta worked at the United States Post office from age twenty seven until age fifty seven, all the while her love for the outdoors, nature and animals grew. She would never marry or have children, but would share those years of her life with her boyfriend Joe and in their thirty years together they made the forest and the world a better place.

Having a loving heart and a wish to do no harm, Wannetta and Joe spent decades being observers of nature and caring for the animals. It is her belief that traumas can be healed by nature and that if you want to find spiritual connection, you need not look any further than the backdrop of nature that God has provided.

Wannetta has a paticular fondness for owls, and they seem to know what a friend they have in her. She has educated many people over the years, appearing on news casts and in the news articles of the Chicago Sun Times and alike. She is known as the “Owl Whisperer” and has a reputation for sitting perched for hours and hours while she looks into the tree baskets she has provided with nesting material throughout the preseves around her home so that the Great Horned Owls have a safe place to nest near Mattson Illinois.

https://abc7chicago.com/archive/8625035/

Her love of animals has sent her on many a wonderful adventure. An avid traveler, she has been on dozens of beautiful trips to view wildlife up close. Africa, Gala’pagos Islands , Alaska and Mexico to name just a few. While in Mexico Wannetta was particularly taken by a mature gray whale who neared the boat she was in. This large animal could have easily caused damage to the boat her travel group was in, but instead trusted that they wouldn’t harm him- so he swam right up to the boat, allowing Wannetta to pet him. It was a very spiritual moment for her. One of Gods largest creatures could have acted violently toward her but instead he chose to trust her and she in turn trusted him.

The wonder of what might have been is always present for Wannetta. Certainly had she remained in Chicago life would have been different. Perhaps the absence of forest preserves in her neighborhood would have changed the love she feels for nature and animals, it’s hard to say. It is evident to all who know her that she has a loving heart, a love for life and all it offers, and a true passion for the most vulnerable among us- perhaps because she can relate so well to them. She can truly see their beauty and I think whenever we hear an owl hoot, we should know that he is probably retelling the stories that were passed down from his ancestors about the woman with the kind heart who cares for all the animals she sees. I’ll bet they praise her name…as they should.

Thank You Wannetta, for sharing your story with me, and allowing me to share it with others.

Till next time- Erin