LaWanda Vivian Hayse Williams, 86, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, and cousin lost her battle with heart disease on June 5 at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend.

LaWanda was born Jan. 17, 1932, in La Grande to Joseph Henry Hayse and Lulia Inez Coats. In 1935, when LaWanda was 3 ½ years old, she and her family moved from LaGrande to Burns because there was plentiful work during the depression in Burns.

In her youth, LaWanda was an athlete before many women pursued sports; she excelled in tumbling and baton twirling. She was a leader of the Girls Athletic Association (G.A.A.). She loved the arts, was a member of OPB, performed in high school plays, surprised her family with her painting talent, and had a long aspiration to go to the opera. She was also well-known for her talent for ballroom dancing and teaching the Hawaiian hula to many in the community, including contestants in the Miss BUHS pageant, where high school boys dressed in drag and competed for the title.

LaWanda attended Burns Grade School and graduated from Burns Union High in 1951. After graduating high school, LaWanda met Donald W. Williams. They married June 28, 1953, and remained in Burns for their long and enduring marriage, raising four children. LaWanda and Donald would have been married 65 years later this month.

LaWanda was known for her strong faith, her honesty, and her ability to keep confidences. She served as an example for others in her community. Some referred to her as one of their “little prayer warriors.” Lawanda was committed to helping others find their own path through prayer and fellowship. She was a member of the church choir, served as a Eucharistic Minister, and was an active member of the Holy Family Parish’s Altar Society.

LaWanda was a natural business woman and entrepreneur. Besides being a house wife and mother, she often had a business going on the side. She believed in doing her best, and challenged herself to try things she knew she wasn’t good at every day. At one time, she even considered a career as a physical therapist.

At times, she designed her own clothes and prided herself on expressing her creativity through her wardrobe. She was curious, spontaneous, and always ready to go on an adventure. She had a travel bug and was Donald’s expert map reader/navigator. It gave her joy exploring Ireland, meandering on family history trips, or taking the back roads to visit family, making many stops along the way to say hello to her friends.

She loved good chocolate, cinnamon gum, western movies, and Law & Order TV marathons with family.

She is survived by her husband, Donald W. Williams; four children and spouses, Dana Williams and Rhonda Dean, LaDonna Macomber and Bill Baker, Valerie Williams-Hurwitz and David Hurwitz, and Tonia Williams-Wood and Kevin Wood; four grandchildren, Nicole Macomber, Sarah Hurwitz, Alex Wood, and Seth Wood; as well as her great-grandchildren, Tane Hansen, Isabell Wood, and Elysiah Wood.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph Henry Hayse and Lulia Inez Coats-Hayse;  sisters, Fredia Stills, Vernia Stills, Evia Hayse, and an infant sister; twin brothers, Buriel and Muriel Hayse;  as well as nephews, Doug Stills, Fred Stills, and Merlin Stills.

A Rosary will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, June 22, at the Holy Family Catholic Church. A Mass Service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 23, with a luncheon to follow the burial service.