Wannapha Jennison Obituary

Wannapha Jennison
Sept. 8, 1945 - May 4, 2012
Resident of Concord
Wannapha "Wannie" Jennison died on Friday, May 4th, 2012 at the Kaiser Redwood City Medical Center surrounded by her family. She was born on September 8th, 1945 in Thailand. She came to the United States in 1968 and by 1973 had met her husband, Paul Jennison. Paul and Wannie's courtship began during a date at a Super Bowl party in 1973 where they watched the Miami Dolphins beat the Washington Redskins. It was there that Wannie cooked her now legendary extremely hot Spicy Beef Salad. It was good food cooked by a beautiful woman with an infectious laugh that propelled their courtship into marriage. Besides being a wife to Paul, Wannie was a mother to daughters Elizabeth and Stephanie. Throughout their lives, she was an endless source of care and support, as they grew into women with children of their own. She cherished the time that she spent raising her girls and caring for her grandchildren when they needed her. Throughout all of this time, she was always ready to cook delicious food, dispense advice, and to enjoy watching her friends, family and children enjoy their meals. We will all miss these meals and the way she made us feel loved and cared for. To the world outside her family she was many other things: an instructress of Thai to English speakers, a hostess at Trader Vic's, a model, an enthusiastic tennis player, a quilter, a prolific flower gardener, a bubbly talker fond of laughing and seeing others laugh. Wannie is survived by her husband Paul Jennison, daughter Elizabeth Proia both of Concord, Ca, and her daughter Stephanie Welgan of Portland, OR. She is sorely missed by her grandchildren Jessica Proia and Samantha Proia of Concord, CA, Catherine Welgan and John Welgan of Portland, OR. Her surviving brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews in Thailand love her, are grateful for her, and wish her spirit to be at peace and to leave on its journey with their blessings. Her immediate family will host a Memorial Service at Ouimet Bros. Concord Funeral Chapel, 4125 Clayton Road, Concord on Monday, June 18, 2012 at 2 p.m.. The family wishes to extend their sincere appreciation for the care Wannie received during her brief stay in the Neurological Intensive Care Unit at the Kaiser Redwood City Medical Center.