Sometimes all a person needs is a cup of good, strong coffee and a sympathetic ear. And there wasn’t anybody better at offering those necessities than One Life to Live’s Wanda Webb Wolek.
All About Wanda
Wanda Webb, the eternal optimist with a sunny disposition, couldn’t help but offer her assistance to the disheveled gentleman who had just collapsed inside the dining establishment in which she served.
Though she didn’t recognize him, Wanda eventually learned that he was Joe Riley, Victoria Lord’s husband. He had survived the car accident that supposedly claimed his life two years prior, but the slow-leaking aneurysm in his brain would surely kill him now.
Wanda acquiesced to Joe’s plea that neither Viki nor his family be informed of his survival and imminent death – but she nevertheless continued to advise him to be honest with his loved ones.
As time passed on, Wanda began to fall in love with her patient turned friend. But when his circumstances were inevitably uncovered – and he survived the delicate surgery that cured his ailment – she lost him to Viki, the only woman who had truly captured his heart.
Luckily, she soon caught the attention of Vince Wolek, Joe’s oldest and dearest friend. The two courted for some time – and frequently engaged in a whole host of deliciously zany arguments.
Then, Vince proposed. And in spite of the intense affection she had for him, Wanda hesitated. Could she really marry a patrol officer and subject herself to life as a policeman’s wife?
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Yes, she certainly could! The happy couple set a wedding date… then had to postpone it when Vince was shot and severely wounded in the line of duty. The ceremony – rescheduled for Valentine’s Day 1975 – proceeded without incident though the groom was only a few days removed from a battle with the measles!
The Wolek marriage was one of Llanview’s most revered, emulated, and long-lasting – and the pair were only parted by Vince’s murder at the hands of counterfeiter Ted Clayton. Wanda soldiered on and threw herself into the running of her newest venture: a country-and-western nightclub.
Entrepreneur and Confidant
In the ensuing years, Wanda also became the proprietress of a diner and her work at the establishment allowed her to become a friend and frequent adviser to her many customers. She even served as a conscience to her scheming cousin, Asa Buchanan, which was never an easy feat.
Wanda’s no-nonsense, straight-shooting approach endeared her to most, but she had her detractors – and Dorian Lord was one of the most vocal.
The women had exchanged words when Dorian had arranged for Sloane Carpenter to be attacked outside of Wanda’s diner and then Wanda learned that her charge – nephew Jason Webb – had been spending his days and nights in Mrs. Cramer’s bed! “You’re living with her?” she asked incredulously. “I’d rather you were doing drugs.”
Farewell, Wanda Webb Wolek
In the immediate aftermath of Vince’s death, Wanda was sure she would never again find happiness. She eventually began dating again but it was more for distraction than a serious attempt at finding another man.
But all that changed when she met Ralph. Theirs was a whirlwind courtship and though he was no Vince, Wanda did indeed fall in love. And when he asked her to move away with him, Wanda agreed.
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