Wanda Lou (Mouton) Mouton-Harris

On March 12, 2024, Wanda Lou Mouton Harris passed away peacefully at age 83, after succumbing to health issues. Born and raised in West Monroe, Louisiana, as an only child she had a fun and loving childhood and was a very talented Majorette in High School as well a being the first Female Disc Jockey at Country Radio Station KUZN. She was very proud of her Louisiana heritage and her family’s rich and historic legacies, as well as a proud New Orleans Saints fan who enjoyed watching NFL games every Sunday during football season. She was always full of life and busy every day going somewhere, doing something, or planning for her next "WwW" adventure.

In 1963 she married her husband, Don Harris, and they moved from Louisiana to Austin, Texas, where they raised their two sons and had successful careers. Wanda ran her own business as an Electrologist for 32 years until she sold it and retired in 1995. She then became a Tour Guide at Greyline Tours of Austin, where she had many adventures “making memories” as she always said. That same year she attended International Tour Management Institute in San Francisco to obtain her Tour Director Certification while conducting city tours there.

1995-1997 she was a hostess at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. In 1996 she was a Transportation Coordinator at the Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, and was honored when asked to participate in the opening and closing ceremonies. Don retired that same year and happily joined her, traveling together for over 15 years until he developed health issues. During which time they worked at several resorts across the US from Wyoming to Virginia, and toured all 50 states in the US, some more than once. They both had a love for the great outdoors.

Featured in magazines and newspapers throughout the US, they were often asked to share their experiences and adventures with the public, educating them about opportunities available for retirees and seniors. In 1998 Reader’s Digest featured them in a cover story “Seniors Not Retiring Because They Don’t Know What To Do, So Just Ask the Harris’s”, and this was Wanda’s proud 30 days of front cover fame. Newspaper articles published include: 1998 the Cleveland Plain Dealer Newspaper, Labor Day 1999 the Washington Post, and in 1999 the San Jose Mercury Newspaper.

Having an interest in travel but not a desire to do tours abroad, in 1998 she started Wander with Wanda (WwW) bus tours focused on senior travelers. Since then, she has led over 500 tours throughout the US and was always blessed with a full bus and a waiting list of travelers. She never advertised, as her success was strictly word of mouth, and that was more than she could have ever hoped for. Her trips were done not out of necessity, but rather because she truly enjoyed traveling and “making memories” happen for others. In between tours, she did many speaking engagements about living a fun, active and memorable retirement life.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Don Harris. She is survived by her son Slade and companion Uba, son Shane and wife Sandy, 3 grandsons Dalton, Cade and Cory, their spouses, and their children.