Wava Farley

Wava B. Farley, 98, of Sioux City passed away Sunday, March 27, 2016, at a Sioux City hospital.
She will be remembered during a private graveside service attended by her family. Arrangements are under the direction of Morningside Chapel, Christy-Smith Funeral Home.
Wava B. Farley lived the majority of her life in Sioux City, attending Irving Elementary School, St. Paul’s Lutheran School, and Woodrow Wilson Middle School in her youth, and graduating from Central High School.
Wava was born on Sept. 25, 1917, in Slayton, Minn., to William and Alice Webb. Shortly after the death of her father when she was a small child, Wava, her mother, and her siblings moved to Sioux City. It was here that she eventually met her husband, Ivan (John) Farley. The two were eventually married, and remained happily so for more than 50 years until Ivan's passing in 1991.
In addition to performing administrative duties for Farley's Roofing Company, the family business headed by her husband, Wava was a dedicated homemaker. She not only helped to raise two daughters, but also developed a true talent for working with her hands.
Wava enjoyed and was highly skilled at sewing, cooking and baking, and she loved to host special occasion gatherings for several generations of her extended family. Wava loved to spend her free time outdoors cultivating her flower and vegetable gardens, and was a writer with a published collection of poetry whose work appeared in various publications over time. Wava's true passion in life, however, was doing God's work. She was a well-regarded figure in the religious community, and was an active speaker for the Sioux City Gospel Mission as well as a children's church teacher in the Siouxland area for many years. Her tenure as a youth leader included time at Morningside Assembly of God, Goodwill Chapel/Church of All Nations, Open Bible Church, Christian Satellite Center, and Community Bible Chapel.
Wava was a talented storyteller who captivated young churchgoers with her lively narrations of stories from the Bible, and she regularly directed well-attended holiday youth programs at the churches where she taught. Sharing her love for God with Sioux City area youth was something Wava wholeheartedly dedicated her entire life to. Her dedication had touched numerous lives of multiple generations of children and adults over the course of nearly 60 years of service, and she will be fondly remembered by many.
Wava is survived by two daughters, Betty Wood and Jean Farley-Wamberg, both of Sioux City; many grandchildren; several great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren; and a large extended family.