Wanda McVeigh's Obituary
Wanda McVeigh passed away early Thursday morning, January 26 after a brief illness, at AccentCare Hospice in Dunedin, FL. Prior, she had been a resident of the memory care facility at the Palms of Largo where she had moved in September 2022. Wanda was 91.
Born in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, on January 9, 1932, Wanda was the only child of Raymond G. and Anna Winona Brudi. After graduating high school in Ft. Wayne, she went on to study art at the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida.
Wanda met James McVeigh while he was serving in the Air Force. They married on October 4, 1952, and eventually moved to Oakland, New Jersey where their three children were born. In 1963, the family moved to Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, where they lived until 1967 when they moved to Arnold, Maryland, and became one of the original residents of Ulmstead Estates.
In the early 1970s, Wanda volunteered as a Pink Lady at Anne Arundel General Hospital, and went on to work several years for ARINC as a graphic artist and later for Anne Arundel County in the Planning and Zoning Department as a cartographer. After the death of her husband in 1998, Wanda moved to Spring Hill, Florida in 2004, where she lived until her move to Largo last year.
Wanda’s passion for art was evident in the hundreds of works she completed over her lifetime, some of which were exhibited at the Brooksville City Hall Art gallery as well as the prestigious Maryland Federation of Art gallery. She worked in many media, including oils and watercolor, but worked mostly with acrylics in recent years. She loved painting animals of every kind, from wildlife to domestic and completed several commissioned works of cats and dogs.
Her other artistic pursuits included designing the iconic nautical themed logo for Ulmstead Club, Inc., as well as designing commemorative Christmas ornaments for both Hernando County and Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida. In 2007, the ornament for Weeki Wachee Springs was selected to be displayed on the Christmas tree in the Blue Room at the White House, along with 347 others hand created by artists around the country to represent America’s national parks. Wanda was also a gifted vocalist and had performed with the Annapolis Corale, among other groups.
In addition to her parents, Wanda is preceded in death by her son, James Joseph McVeigh II in 1976, her daughter, Jean Marie McVeigh in 2000, and her husband James Joseph McVeigh in 1998. She is survived by her daughter, Marriann McVeigh and son-in-law William Ahearn of Largo, FL, and her grandson, James Joseph Gemmill of Arnold, MD.
At Wanda’s request, no service will be held. Memorial contributions in Wanda’s honor may be made to SPCA Tampa Bay at 9099 100 30th Ave. Largo, FL 33773 or at SPCATAmpaBay.org.
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