Wanda B. Sothen
Former Durango resident Wanda Sothen died in her sleep on Tuesday, March 1, 2011, at her home in Farmington. She was 48. The cause of death is undetermined.
Mrs. Sothen was born to Kurt and Barbara Wicker on Jan. 3, 1963, in Corpus Christie, Texas. Her father worked for Aramco, and she attended high school in Saudi Arabia from 1975 to 1979.
On Feb. 14, 1988, she married Dwight C. Hartman in Alamagordo, N.M. The marriage later ended in divorce.
Mrs. Sothen worked for the Internal Revenue Service from 1989 to 1991.
She moved to Durango in 1990, and married William R. Sothen here in September of that year. She was also diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1990, and her husband said that even though she lived in constant pain, she decided to get on with her life.
During periods when her MS was in remission, she worked as the secretary at the Cornerstone Church of Durango and went back to school to earn her registered nurse degree from San Juan College.
Mrs. Sothen graduated from San Juan College in 2007 and worked as a home health and hospice nurse. She had worked for Basin Home Health Inc. and Guardian Angel Home Health Inc. in Farmington.
In 2002, during the Missionary Ridge Fire, Mrs. Sothen founded Durango Helping Hands. She was responsible for managing 358 volunteers, and the organization provided food and supplies to 2,188 people, clothing to 367 people, temporary housing for 26 families, furniture for 11 homes, cleaning crews to 16 fire-damaged homes and coats for 36 children. For those efforts, the Durango Chamber of Commerce thanked Mrs. Sothen with the Outstanding Contribution to the Community Award for 2002, and U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis read a tribute to her into the Congressional Record.
Mrs. Sothen enjoyed arts and crafts as well as supporting her three children in all of their activities.
“Many of Wanda’s classmates, co-workers and patients became her friends,” her family wrote. “We encourage all who knew Wanda to come share their memories and celebrate her life.”
Mrs. Sothen is survived by her husband, William R. Sothen, of Durango; daughters Ashley Whiting of Farmington and Amber Hartman of Dallas; son, Dominick Sanders, of Alvin, Texas; sister, Wendy Wicker, of McAllen, Texas; and three grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, March 4, 2011, at Brewer, Lee & Larkin Funeral Home, 103 E. Ute St., in Farmington. A reception will take place afterward.