Wanda Argo

Wanda Argo left us on October 1st, 2024 around 9:30 pm. She was surrounded by family and loved ones.

Wanda spent a lifetime in service to others. She worked for many years at the Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital and Residential Opportunities Inc, providing care to individuals across the area. When her firstborn son was diagnosed with autism she became a dedicated advocate for him which extended to helping other families on their autism journey. After her son John had grown up, and currently carries on Wanda's legacy as a peer advocate with Kalamazoo Community Mental Health, she started an online support group for families "Sisterhood of the Autism Mothers and a few great dads."

Her work will live on long after her, and her outreach, empathy, and knowledge touched the lives of thousands of people navigating similar turmoil and trials. What began as a small support group ballooned into a page with over 9,000 people, and in the days following her passing, countless people from all over the world spoke to how Wanda provided comfort, support, and critical experience for them.

Wanda had an unmatched wit and sense of humor and anyone who spent time with her could tell you how she had a talent for bringing out joy and laughter even in trying times. On the subject of her own departure she was known to muse "that's the thing about life, none of us get out of it alive."

The weekend before she passed she went with her son Andy to see Electric Light Orchestra in Chicago and visited her lake one last time (Lake Michigan). While her death was sudden and unexpected, it was a perfect bookend to her life's journey.

Wanda was a dedicated mother and grandmother, raising her family with dedication and instilling her empathy, wisdom, and charm in all of them.

Wanda is survived by her loving and devoted husband Guy Argo, her daughter Hillary Hogarth, her sons John and Andy Argo, her grandchildren Lilly, Ethan, and Luke Hogarth, and her sister Ruth. She joins her sister Becky and her parents Claudia and Richard.

The family is planning a commemoration -- and what would have been her 70th birthday party -- on Saturday, December 7th at 2PM at the First Congregational Church in downtown Kalamazoo (345 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49007).