Waltraud “Wally” Marianne Fischer was born on June 15, 1936 in Aalen, Germany, the middle daughter of three, to Fritz Fischer and Frieda Abendschein. Always adventurous, her travels to Switzerland and England in her early 20’s led her to eventually immigrate to the U.S. in 1964. Working as a registered nurse at the LAC-USC Medical Center, she met Samuel Cardona whom she married in 1966. Together they raised five children and were married 39 years before Samuel’s passing in 2006.
Wally was strongly committed to her church communities over the years, including the last 50 years of membership at both Emmaus Lutheran Church in Alhambra and First German United Methodist Church in Glendale. Moving to San Diego/Spring Valley in 2022, she quickly endeared herself to faith communities both at Covenant Living at Mount Miguel and Grace Covenant Church.
Wally was well-known for her commitment to disability advocacy, worldwide travels, athleticism (doing triathlons and skiing into her 70’s and biking in her 80’s), and incessantly crocheting and selling beautiful handmade scarves for cancer survivors. She had a zest for adventure, life and love for all her family and friends.
Wally is survived by her 5 children: Gordon Wayne (Long Beach, CA), Cameron Samuel (San Diego, CA), Allison Joy (Lansing, KS), Stephanie Crystal (Peoria, AZ), and Wesley Matthew (Reno, NV) as well as taking pride and joy in her seven grandchildren: Jenna Grace (21), Joella Faith (18), Jaylyn Hope (16), Lailah Rain (12), Landen Drew (9), Laiton Rush (8), and Liahna Maye (7).
Comment(1)
Cristina Gonzales says:
March 3, 2023 at 3:00 pmWally, was a beautiful woman. Always up and smiling, willing to help and comfort you. I aspire to have her spirit and zest for life. She definitely will be missed!! Sending warm, heartful hugs and prayers to her family.