Genevieve (Stead) Wangsness

Genevieve (Genna) Stead Wangsness, 84, of Ocala, Florida, passed away on June 18, 2026 after complications from a stroke. She lived a life defined by adventure, compassion, intellectual curiosity, and an unwavering belief in human connection—whether with a stranger halfway around the world or a grandchild eager for a summer adventure. 

Genna graduated from St. Patrick’s High School in Wyandotte, Michigan, and went on to work at Ford Motor Company before answering a different kind of call: she joined the Peace Corps and served in Iran from 1965 to 1967, work that would shape the rest of her life. It was there, just before she was set to return home, that she met Roger Wangsness, a former Peace Corps volunteer (Bangladesh 1962-64) and newly arrived member of the Peace Corps staff. The couple married on December 1, 1967, and remained in Iran, where they welcomed their daughter, Alison. The following year, their son, Christopher, was born with microcephaly. Christopher lived for only seven months, and his loss became one of the most difficult chapters in their lives.

The young family returned to the United States and settled in upstate New York while Roger pursued a graduate degree at Cornell, and their son Brian was born in Ithaca. From there, the family moved to the Washington, D.C. area, putting down roots in Alexandria, Virginia, where Genna and Roger raised their children. In 1977, remembering a promise she’d made to herself while volunteering at an orphanage during her Peace Corps years, Genna and Roger welcomed 6-year-old Bijali from Calcutta, India. When she was asked about giving her adopted daughter a more American name, Genna responded that Bijali arrived with nothing but her name and she wasn’t going to take that away too.

During her years as a stay-at-home mother, Genna gave her time generously to the community — serving as an election officer for the city, volunteering with the PTA, coaching youth soccer, publishing the church newspaper, and delivering meals through Meals on Wheels, among many other causes. As her children became a little older, she returned to work part-time as a secretary at a law firm, eventually taking a full-time position in the President’s Office at Georgetown University. She attended school at night at Georgetown for eight years to earn her B.A. in Liberal Studies — graduating magna cum laude in the very same ceremony where her daughter Alison received her master’s degree, a special milestone shared between mother and daughter. She often reflected on how profoundly her education reshaped her perspective on life. It was during those years that she discovered a gift for storytelling that would later lead her to become an author. 

In 1995, Roger retired from a 30-year government career, and together they embarked on a new adventure as innkeepers. They spent a year restoring a historic home in Folkston, Georgia, and ran it as a bed and breakfast for nine years, welcoming guests into their home with the same warmth they brought to everything else. Genna and Roger were deeply involved in the Folkston community. In 2002, Genna authored a historic walking tour of downtown Folkston, published by the Folkston Better Hometown Program, and she was the driving force behind establishing a women’s studies section at the local public library. 

In 2006, the couple retired again — this time for good — to DeLand, Florida, where they would spend the next twenty years. Their home there became a favorite destination for grandchildren, full of visits and adventures Genna planned with care. During this chapter of her life, Genna gave one of her greatest gifts to the Peace Corps community. As a founding member and historian of the Peace Corps Iran Association, she became determined to preserve the stories of volunteers whose experiences might otherwise have been lost to time. Over more than a decade, she collected memories, conducted research, and wrote The Land Between Two Waters, unveiled at the 2023 PCIA conference in Chicago. Because of her dedication, countless returned volunteers now have a permanent record of a remarkable chapter in their lives.

It was also during these years that Bijali was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Genna and Roger welcomed her into their home and cared for her through the final months of her life. Although the  mother-daughter relationship had experienced challenges over the years, this time together brought healing, reconciliation, and the opportunity to share a deep and abiding love before Bijali passed away surrounded by family. 

Genna was a true people person who never knew a stranger, and she had a gift for making everyone feel like family — including the two exchange students, Claes from Sweden and Hanna from Norway, whom she and Roger hosted and who remained as close as family to them for the rest of their lives. An adventurer at heart, Genna was always seeking out new experiences and living life to the fullest. For her 65th birthday, she went skydiving with her son-in-law while more than twenty family members, friends, and neighbors gathered to cheer her on. Genna took up art classes alongside both family and friends, and she was famously, fondly known for rearranging and moving furniture wherever she went. Determined that her own story wouldn’t be lost, she documented her life in a series of scrapbooks and a memoir, leaving behind a lasting gift for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. 

Over nearly 59 years together, Genna and Roger never stopped seeking out new adventures. In April 2026, Genna and Roger sold their beloved 1920s Craftsman bungalow and moved to Ocala, Florida, to be closer to their daughter Alison. It would be the final chapter of a life spent embracing change, adventure, and family. Genna tried to improve the lives of everyone she met, and she loved unconditionally — sharing her compassion with family, friends, strangers, and humanity as a whole. She was an ardent environmentalist and feminist who believed deeply in equality for all. Genna’s life was one of curiosity and deep love — for her family, for the people she met halfway around the world, and for the stories she made sure would never be forgotten.

In addition to her parents, her son Christopher, her daughter Bijali, her sister Patricia Stead, and brother-in-law Charlie preceded her in death. She is survived by her husband, Roger; daughter  Alison Clement (Matt); son Brian (Christy); sister Jackie Sheridan; niece Kim Rinna (Chad), granddaughter India Warren (Blake); grandson Terence Brown (Kami); grandsons Zach and Andrew Clement; granddaughters Katy and Kara Wangsness; and great-grandchildren Weston and Blakely Warren and Kyndall and Cove Brown. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to The Equal Justice Initiative.

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