Obituary of Vanita Lynn Warren

Vanita Lynn Warren was born on December 11th, 1958, at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Denver, Colorado to the late Samuel Williams and Winfra Jean Huff. She was also predeceased by her brother, Elbert Williams, and her sister, Betty Lymon Williams.
        
Vanita was an Air Force brat growing up and lived with her family in several areas of the United States, and in Germany and Libya. She graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver, Colorado in 1976 and immediately embarked on an extensive Air Force career, beginning with Basic Training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas. From there, she went on to Tech School at Lowry AFB in Denver, Colorado where she trained as a Defensive Fire Control Specialist for B-52 Bombers. She worked on the 50-caliber machine gun turret and the antennas on the bottom tail portion of the aircraft. She met David Bowles while she was stationed at Lowry AFB, and they were married in 1977. Their daughter, Angela, was born in 1978.   

In 1982, Vanita retrained as a Special Agent in the Office of Special Investigations (OSI) at Bolling AFB in Washington D.C. She was then assigned to Travis AFB in California and various Air Force Bases in Europe, including San Vito dei Normanni Air Station in Italy, Torrejon Air Base in Spain, and Trier Air Base in Germany. She earned numerous military commendations during her career, and her military structure eventually became the basis for her life structure. She married the late Rudy Dewayne Woods in 1986 and then resigned from active duty in 1987. The family moved to Lugo, Galicia, Spain where Vanita became a homemaker. Their son, Samuel, was born in 1987.

After returning to the United States, Vanita joined the Denver Police Department in 1990, earning numerous awards and commendations over her career. While there, she met her current husband, David Warren, and they were married in 1995. Vanita retired from the Police Department in 2013, but a few years earlier, in 2011, she re-entered the Air Force Reserves to finish her Air Force career. She retired from the Air Force Reserves in 2018 as an Air Force Education and Training Manager.                                                                                  

A devout Christian, Vanita was the Communications Coordinator, State Legislative Liaison for Concerned Women for America (CWA) from 1998-2000, and the Colorado State Director for Concerned Women for America (CWA) from 2000-2001. During her extensive careers, Vanita earned a Bachelors, a Masters, and a Doctor of Theology Degree from Andersonville Theological Seminary, and became a freelance Christian writer, writing articles for various Christian magazines. She also wrote, edited, and published personal and organizational newsletters, and books which are sold on Amazon. Although she was a polymath, studying scripture and writing were her primary passions.

Vanita was a loving, intelligent, talented woman, who loved to help and teach others. She was able to communicate with everyone, people from all walks of life. She always thought of others before herself and filled every minute of her life doing something positive, and in the end, she fulfilled all her life goals. On August 26th, 2022, she went to a hospital emergency room in Colorado Springs, and shortly thereafter was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. 

Vanita leaves behind her husband, David Warren; children, Angela Trent and Samuel Woods; granddaughters, Dana and Celeste Trent; sister, Renee Elliott and husband Clarence; sister in-law, Paula Williams; nephews, Christopher Elliott and wife Lynette; Clarence Elliott, III and wife Diane, and Jesse Williams; nieces, Leslie Williams-Irizzary and husband Alain, Jennifer Williams, and Victoria Williams. She also leaves behind several grandnieces and grandnephews, extended family, close friends, and neighbors.