Waunita May Herron was born on Dec. 12, 1927, on her parents’ homestead in northeastern Colorado.
She was the third child of Albert and Thelma Tiff Brown. Her siblings included Cleo Brown, Arlene Brown Jensen, and Laberta Brown Kier.
She had very happy memories of growing up in the countryside, riding horses, gardening, reading, sewing, and playing with her siblings. Waunita attended a one-room country school for the first eight years. After that, like most rural children of the time, she boarded in the nearby town, Yuma, Colorado, during the week in order to attend high school. During later high school years, she worked evenings in the town grocery store.
While attending a Halloween party, she met her future husband, Clifford J. Herron. They were married during her senior year of high school because he had enlisted in the Marine Corps and was departing for boot camp and service in World War II. While he was away, she lived in a small apartment in town and worked as a store clerk.
After Clifford’s return from the Marine Corps, he and Waunita bought a small piece of land and began farming crops and raising livestock. As they had money and opportunity, they purchased additional land. Three children were born: Phillip Alan Herron, Lorena May Herron, and David Lee Herron.
In 1959, they moved to Victor, Montana, where they had purchased a 660-acre cattle ranch.
She and Clifford raised registered Black Angus cattle. Waunita was kept very busy cooking for her family and hired hands, as well as gardening, sewing, canning, managing finances, and many other tasks.
In 1964, the family moved to a farm near Battle Ground, Washington. Waunita went to work in bookkeeping at Hicks Plumbing Co. and soon discovered she had a knack and love for working with numbers. She took night classes in accounting at Clark Community College, as well as private schools and correspondence courses.
While still keeping up with work on the farm and at Hicks Plumbing, she opened Systematic Bookkeeping Service in Battle Ground. Eventually, that became her full-time occupation. She enjoyed her work in tax accounting and bookkeeping and the clients for whom she worked.
After divorcing Clifford in 1978, Waunita lived in Vancouver as well as in the town of Battle Ground for a time. Eventually, she resettled on the farm with other family members. She enjoyed being back in the countryside as well as spending time with her adult children. During this time, she planned and executed the subdivision of her part of the farm. That required her to sell her bookkeeping business in order to devote all of her time to the subdivision process. Later, she moved into Battle Ground, where she lived the rest of her life.
Visiting Cannon Beach, Oregon, each summer was one of her favorite activities. She loved to visit the saltwater taffy store and spend hours on the beach. During her later life, Waunita had time to indulge in art, especially oil and acrylic painting. Grandchildren came along during these years: Bryant Herron-Patmon, Adam Herron-Patmon, and Jay Herron, as well as step-grandchildren Robin and Ashley Phillips. More years later, she received six great-grandchildren.
Waunita believed strongly in her Christian faith. She grew up in a church-going family and took her own children to church events as they were growing up. She credited her early beliefs to her parents, as well as a teacher she had as a young child in the one-room schoolhouse. Her beliefs brought her comfort and strength throughout her life. She looked forward to reuniting with loved ones who had gone ahead of her.
Waunita is survived by her children: Lorena Herron and David Herron (Shelley). Her son, Phillip Herron, passed on in 2017. She is also survived by grandchildren: Bryant Herron-Patmon (Bryana), Adam Herron-Patmon, and Jay Herron, and step-grandchildren Robin Phillips Ng (Bobbie) and Ashley Phillips Rehder (Josh). Waunita is survived by six great-grandchildren. She was very proud of her family and enjoyed spending time with them.
The family wishes to thank Vintage Years Adult Family Home, as well as Hospice (Eden Health), for their kind and skillful care in the last months and days of her life.
Waunita passed on Feb. 11, 2025.
