Actress, Astrologer, Friend
by Michael Lutin
Because Wanda belonged to the Screen Actor’s Guild, she got to vote on the Oscars every year, and whenever she received the DVD’s of the latest movies, she was willing to share them all. Wanda Calvello was our link to Hollywood. As simply as she lived, though, she had a glamour and style all her own. She loved doing her voice overs, and each one reflected a different Wanda, from suburban Mom to throaty and sexy.
And what an amazing astrologer. It seemd as if she had an ephemeris inside her head, the way she could reel off all the transits right down to the minutes. The funny thing is, she rarely looked at how the planetary aspects were affecting her. It was always where Neptune was in her sister’s chart or how the Saturn Uranus opposition was hitting her niece or her Mom or her brother-in-law. Always everybody else. And she didn’t just think about everyone else. She worried about everyone else. Her family members were her support system and her heart, right up to the very last moment. Wanda had love all around her from the man she cared most about to her sisters, their husbands, nieces and nephews and their little dog, right up to the very last moment.
The reason everyone who knew Wanda loved her was just that. She cared about and worried about everyone else, including all her friends. She was a friend to all and didn’t have an enemy in the world. She was always there to help. How many times was there just Wanda and Wanda alone to sit there and do mailings for the library, move chairs and welcome speakers. Whenever there was a conference or an event, there was Wanda. There was Wanda.
Right there up front, on the front lines, in the front row.
There was Wanda.
But no more.
Good-bye Wanda.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
TRIBUTES:
Thanks for putting up the memorial. The last time I saw Wanda was in the recording studio at the very end of October. She was in pain, but the doctors didn't yet know what the cause was. We've been looking everywhere, calling, emailing, trying find out how she was. I did a search yesterday and found your memorial. Thanks.
I knew Wanda by her "stage" name, Wanda Carrie. We started working together in 1986, the year I started my business. Wanda was trying to get established in "voice overs", and was willing to work with me for what I could afford. Over the years, we worked together more and more. Wanda was the "voice" of my production company, coming in to record every week for about 15 years. She always put our work first, coming back early from a weekend away, or putting off a vacation to make sure she never let us down. She is responsible for much of what we've accomplished, and we think about her every time we're in the recording studio.
Casey Hart
BIRTH AND DEATH DATA: Source: SSDI Birthday Database
BIRTH: 31-Mar-1951 New York NY
DEATH: According to an NCGR email "She died peacefully on Monday, December 22, 2008 in the presence of her family."
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD? This memorial is interactive, and we welcome your memories and tributes, which we will add in the order received. (They may be edited for grammar, length, and suitability.) If there are any additional contributions we should mention or any inaccuracies in the memorial, please bring them to our attention. We would also love to have photos to bring back vivid memories. (Photos will be scanned and returned.) To suggest names, share memories, create tributes, or volunteer, send us an e-mail.
CREDITS: Memorial first appeared in the January/February 2009 issue of NCGR Memberletter. Photo provided by Michael Lutin. This memorial written by Michael Lutin and created by Liz Houle with graphics from Word of Mouth Web Design.
