Bowdoin- Wanda B. Ballew, 81, of Lilac Drive, died peacefully on Friday, January 16, 2026, at Mid Coast Hospital following an extended illness. Wanda was born in Oakland, ME on October 6, 1944, the daughter of the late William Gunning and Emma L. Getchell. She graduated from Messalonskee High School and earned her associate degree from the University of Maine at Augusta. She earned Phi Theta Kappa status while at UMA. In 2004, Wanda married Robert Ballew in Waterville, Maine and together they made their home in Bowdoin. At a young age, Wanda started working at the Hathaway Shirt Factory before marrying and traveling due to military service. In 1980 she returned to Maine and started work with the State of Maine, retiring from the Department of Transportation with more than twenty years of service. In her spare time, she loved to read and was a huge fan of Sci-Fi novels. Isaac Asimov was her favorite author. She especially enjoyed spending time outdoors, whether it was camping, hiking or just spending time at their home in the woods watching the deer, turkeys, and squirrels. She loved the many feline friends she had over the years. Her greatest love was the time she spent surrounded by family, hosting family dinners every weekend, holiday gatherings. Family was the most important thing to her. She was happy as long as family was around her. Wanda was predeceased by three brothers, Langdon, Lawrence and Lewis Kelly and a stepson, Matthew Ballew. She is survived by her loving husband, Robert Ballew; two daughters, Kelly Klaiber and her husband Clyde Klaiber, Tara Ranks and her husband Mark Ranks; two sons, William Isbister and his wife Cheryl Isbister, Eric McCalister and his wife Corina McCalister, stepdaughter Kristy Cyr and her husband Michael Duff. Eleven grandchildren; several great and great-great grandchildren along with several nieces and nephews. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at 10:30am at Grace Baptist Church, 476 Summit Street, Portland, ME. Arrangements and guidance are under the direction of Stetson's Funeral Home, 12 Federal Street, Brunswick, ME. Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared with the family on Stetson's Funeral Home website: www.StetsonsFuneralHome.com