Wanda Lovell (Tanner) Kaufman

Wanda (Tanner) Davis Kaufman, 83, passed away peacefully at Settlers Park Assisted Living Facility in Baker City, on Easter Sunday, April 9th, 2023, with her husband of 40 years at her bedside.

Wanda was born August 5th, 1939, in Miami, Oklahoma, to Ray and Bessie (Estes) Tanner.  She was the youngest of four sisters. She attended grammar school in Miami and Commerce High School in Commerce, OK.

In, 1956, Wanda moved to live with her sister and family in Page, Idaho. While working at the Miner’s Hat restaurant in Kellogg, ID, she met and later married Gilbert Davis in 1957.  Gil went to work for the Forest Service in Grangeville, ID. They lived there and in 1959 their first son, Gilbert Alan Davis, Jr., was born. They then had a daughter, Cheryl Annette, in 1963, while still living in Grangeville. Their younger son, Brian Clifford, was born in 1966, after they moved to Riggins, ID.

In the summer of 1969, Gil transferred to the Dale Ranger District at Dale, Oregon, as the district engineer.  The family lived at the ranger station and the children attended schools in Long Creek.  Wanda enjoyed her role as a full-time mother and devoted herself to her children.

Following the marriages of her older children, she and Gil divorced in 1981 and she moved to North Powder with her younger son Brian. In 1983, she married Bruce Kaufman in Baker City and settled in the Wingville area of Baker Valley. This union brought Christine and Daniel Kaufman into the extended family.

When Bruce retired in 1994, the couple moved to North Powder, where they opened Eastern Oregon Antiques and became certified appraisers. They closed their business seasonally and traveled to the Ozark Hills country, in Oklahoma and surrounding states, to gather inventory for their business.

In 2004, they sold the business property and began spending winters in Arizona. Then in 2008, they moved back to Grant County and settled in Prairie City. Bruce and Wanda were active in senior citizen affairs until Wanda’s health began to decline resulting in their transfer to Settlers Park Assisted Living Facility in Baker City in 2021.

Wanda loved to hunt, fish, rock hunt, snow-ski, look for wild mushrooms, ride four-wheelers and motorcycles, bike, camp, play volleyball, swim, boat, and sunbathe. She enjoyed music, singing, playing the autoharp and guitar, and dancing. Wanda was also skilled at baking, crocheting, quilting, and sewing. She loved animals and raised many dogs, cats, birds, and other critters. One of her favorite things was attending her kids’ sporting events.

Wanda was preceded in death by her parents, Ray and Bessie Tanner, and three sisters, Lena Gail, Lucille Hildebrand, and Inez Mountford, all of the Miami, OK area.

Wanda is survived by her husband Bruce Kaufman, son G. Allan (Leslie) Davis, Jr, of Baker City, daughter Cheryl (Steve) Foster, of Silvies Valley, son Brian (Rebecca) Davis of Amity, a stepdaughter Chris (Jim) Aldrich of Haines, and a stepson Daniel (Angelina) Kaufman of Boise, ID. In addition, she was very proud to have 12 wonderful grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

A funeral service honoring Wanda will be held on Saturday, April 29, 2023, beginning at 11:00 AM at the Baker City Church of the Nazarene with Pastor Brad Phillips officiating. Following the service, family, and friends will drive in procession to the Haines Cemetery, where Wanda will be interred.  A gathering and a luncheon will be held at the Haines Methodist Church Annex after the interment at the cemetery.  Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriners Hospitals for Children through Gray's West & Co. Pioneer Chapel at 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814.

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