On December 19, 2023, a most precious jewel of the Mickler and Palm Valley Family, Wanda Cheryl (Padgett) Langford, passed peacefully from this world. To say she will be missed cannot touch the deep void she’s left within the hearts of all who loved her. Wanda is now resting safely in the arms of Jesus. She is free now and probably swimming in the purity of a crystal-clear spring made especially for her. All her pain and sorrow washed away in the loving light of God.
The world was given a great gift on October 20, 1959, as her mama and daddy, Merline Ardis Mickler Padgett-Jobes and Phil Cowley Padgett celebrated the birth of their firstborn child. Their love had resulted in an earth angel who would be beloved by all who knew her.
Born with a natural nobility, goodness, and grace and her own particular sense of magic that made her unforgettable. Wanda's early days were spent kissed by the sun, running free on Mickler’s Beach among the mysterious shadows of the long-forgotten sand dunes, riding horses in the Guana marsh and surrounded by a family where love was so thick you couldn’t cut it with a knife. She was the apple of our eye. Wanda graduated from Fletcher High School in the class of 1977.
She was blessed with four children. Her firstborn twins, Little Billy and Timothy, went back to God's loving embrace far too young. She is with them now and all of heaven rejoices in their reunion. Later, came two daughters; Taylor Ann Langford and Britni Lyn Powell, who were her heart's delight. When she thought she couldn’t fall more deeply in love, she became a grandmother (Ana) to her five grand-angels and took extreme pride in all of them; Caleb, Regan, Brycen, April, and Brinnley truly were the light of her life. Her greatest heartbreak before she passed was that they would grow up without her. They were not just her grandchildren, but her best friends, the treasures of her heart. This golden cord of love will never be broken despite the sorrow of her passing.
In her life, she was a faithful daughter, loyal big sister, a comforting mother (to many children, not just her own), a doting, spoiling aunt & grandmother, and a true and steadfast friend. If God measures us by how much we love, her life was extraordinary. How much more blessed could we have been to have her for the short time we were graced with her presence. Wanda, we thank you for the way you brightened all our lives, and not just ours, but anyone you came in contact with. You were taken from us far too young. But how incredibly blessed were we to witness the love of Jesus through you, and for that we are forever thankful.
Look for her in the things she held dear. The beauty of a peacock, the sound of the hoot owl, a visit from a cardinal, the miracle of a hummingbird, the song of the mockingbird, bluebirds and the fluttering of a playful butterfly passing by. Wanda found joy in all the natural world had to offer.
She is survived by her mother, Merline Mickler (Padgett)-Jobes; daughters, Taylor Langford (and her son Caleb) and Britni Powell (her husband who Wanda called her son, Blake Powell, and their children Regan, Brycen, April and Brinnley); sister, Bethany Mickler Padgett; brother, nieces, nephews, and another million family members too numerous to name. A special mention goes out to her dogs Lena and Dakota… who held vigil beside her throughout it all.
She is preceded in death by her twin boys, Little Billy and Timothy; daddy, Phil Cowley Padgett; sister, Lesli Kelly Huggett; nephew, Ryan Jacob DeJoris and many other important family members. What a reunion they are sharing now.
In lieu of flowers, Wanda would hope that you will do a random act of kindness for someone or plant a beautiful oak in Palm Valley in her name.
