Valerie Wunder, past president of the CHCA

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Valerie A Wunder, of Tucson, Arizona, a former resident of Chestnut Hill, died on October 9 at St Joseph’s hospital.

Born on July 30, 1941, in Philadelphia, Wunder attended Lincoln High School and later graduated with a degree in Art History from Temple University, which she used as a foundation to pursue her lifelong interest in the Arts.

After graduation, Wunder became the Director of Student Affairs at Temple’s Tyler School of Art, where she remained until taking over a small family business upon the death of her mother, Anna V. Koch. After selling the business, she became the Business Director of the BioStructures Institute of the University City Science Center, a position she held until the retirement of the lead researcher.

Wunder and her friend, Adele Gray, maintained a small clothing business, showing and selling Worth’s women’s fashions several times a year. Wunder was also active in her community and served as President of the Chestnut Hill Community Association from 1994 through 1995, a culmination of years of volunteer community service.

She moved to Oro Valley, Arizona in 1999, where she maintained several administrative positions with the University of Arizona until the time of her retirement. She continued to be involved with her home owners’ association and local community organizations in the Oro Valley area. She was committed to the Arts, having been a long-time supporter of both the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Tucson Symphony as well as the Philadelphia Museum of Art; she enjoyed performances of ballet and theater and was an avid fan of foreign films and American movies. Always wanting to be stylish in appearance and kind in manner, Wunder was a courageous, resilient and persistent woman, who remained such even as her body failed her.

Wunder traveled at every opportunity throughout her life: Western Europe, North America and parts of South America. She married her first husband, Karl A. Wunder, of Kulmbach, Germany, in 1960 and had one child. She later married Greg Woodring, of Philadelphia, PA, whom she remained close ties despite having divorced in 1999. Valerie is predeceased by her parents, Alfred H. and Anna V. Koch, and her first husband, Karl A. Wunder. She is survived by her brother, Fred J. Koch, of Stowe, Vt., her daughter, Triesta Wunder, of Catalina, Arizona, and her two cousins, Sylvia Ann and Frank Sturm.

A small memorial service will be conducted when the pandemic situation improves. Invitations are forthcoming.