Legendary State Fair of Texas Funnel Cake Purveyor Wanda ‘Fernie’ Winter Dies at 95
Plus more Dallas-Fort Worth dining intel
Share this story
State Fair funnel cake maven Wanda ‘Fernie’ Winter has died
Wanda ‘Fernie’ Winter, the State Fair of Texas fixture known for serving up powdered sugar-dusted funnel cakes from her concession stand at The Dock, passed away this past weekend, her family has announced. She was 95 years old.
Winter first started working at the State Fair with her husband in 1967, according to the Dallas Morning News. After a trip to Branson in the 1980s, where they tasted funnel cakes for the first time, Winter and her husband John decided to bring the dish to the State Fair of Texas. Eventually, Winter’s funnel cakes developing a large enough following that her four daughters had to step in to assist her. By 2019, the last time the fair took place, Winter had five separate Fernie’s Funnel Cakes stands at the event. Her funnel cakes had been