Wanda & Harold Templeton

The Templetons, Wanda (nee Neely), a native of Oklahoma, and Harold, born and raised in Lynchburg, Virginia, married in 1954.  Harold explains it this way—“It happened because of my beloved alma mater, Virginia Military Institute (VMI).”   As a graduate, Harold joined the U. S. Air Force in 1952, with an assignment at McClellan Air Force Base in California. 

 Wanda, on the other hand, might tell you that they owe their first encounter to the Dust Bowl of the mid-1930s.  Her family, along with hundreds more, escaped the hardships of that environmental catastrophe by moving to California, where she spent most of her childhood and all of her teenage years.  Graduating from high school, followed by securing a job at the airbase, put Wanda in close proximity to Harold; the romance between the two started in 1952.

 Once completing his tour and back in Lynchburg, Harold, in 1954, joined his father in founding the successful Marvin V. Templeton & Sons Paving Company, specializing in asphalt surfacing of driveways and streets.   When he retired in 2000, Harold turned his attention to his 500-acre farm and herd of 100 Black Angus cows.  Eventually, he reduced the farmland by half to develop the residential area known as Meadowridge.

While Harold handled the family business, Wanda attended to their family of one son, Marvin, and two daughters, Connie and Debbie.   Today, it has grown to include in-laws, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild; for Harold and Wanda, family comes first and they look forward to whenever the entire clan gathers for an event.  

Along with developing the family business and raising their children, Wanda and Harold involved themselves in community activities.  Wanda especially enjoyed her membership in the Englewood Garden Club, her successes with creating winning flower arrangements, and serving the club as its president.  Harold’s main interest was the Boonsboro Ruritan Club.  Together, as members of the Boonsboro Country Club, Harold and Wanda frequently played tennis and golf.

Once settled in their apartment at WC, Harold plans to create a small garden on their patio with the center attraction being cucumbers thriving in a large pot.  For next year, he will consider expanding to one of WC’s raised flower and vegetable beds.  Wanda is looking forward to having several bones completely healed from a recent fall and turning the cooking responsibilities over to someone else.