Wanda McMahon

WINTER HAVEN -- Mrs. Wanda T. McMahon, a retired bookkeeper for the Polk County Health Department who was a member and officer in many local clubs, died of heart failure Tuesday (Nov. 23, 2004) at Forsythe Hospice House in Auburndale. She was 81."She wasn't just a member, she was a leader. She was a very independent person and very caring," said her daughter, Suzanne Osthoff of Winter Haven. "It was nothing for her to be asked the question `Can you do this?' and without the person even finishing the question, she said `sure.' ""She would do a lot of little gift bags, stockings, whatever it was that needed to be done, she did it. She was a big caregiver."Born in Ocala on Aug. 29, 1923, she and her family came to Winter Haven from Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1952.She worked for the Health Department for more than 25 years before retiring in the mid-1980s.Mrs. McMahon was an avid bridge player and a member of the Winter Haven Bridge Club. She also enjoyed traveling in the United States and abroad."She didn't let any grass grow beneath her feet," Osthoff said. "She went to Greece, Turkey, everywhere in the Caribbean, Canada. She loved to cruise."Mrs. McMahon was a member of a number of groups, including the Camelia Garden Club, the Winter Haven Sunshine Club and the Floridian Club. She was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Winter Haven.Mrs. McMahon was preceded in death by her husband of approximately 45 years, Edward P. McMahon Sr. in 1992, and son, Edward P. McMahon in 1986. In addition to her daughter, she is survived by her sons, Samuel T. McMahon, Pinellas Park, and William Michael McMahon, Tampa; six grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and one great-great-grandchild.Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Crisp-Coon Funeral Chapel, Winter Haven. Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home chapel. Burial will be in Rolling Hills Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Good Shepherd Hospice.