Shirley Ann Woodford

     Shirley Woodford was born November 17, 1925 to Jesse and Iva Miller.  Shirley was the oldest of five children.  She and her family lived around Sac City and Lake View and later on a farm near Sioux Rapids.  Shirley graduated from Cornell High School and later graduated from Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Iowa.

     Shirley married Harry Woodford at The Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa December 21, 1946.  After their marriage, they farmed in the Webb and Gillett Grove areas and were active members of the Trinity United Methodist Church.  They had three children: Janet, Craig and Diane.  Shirley was a stay-at-home mother who enjoyed participating in clubs, church activities and leading 4-H clubs and scout activities while her children were school age.  She also worked as a substitute teacher on occasion.  After she and her husband, Harry, bought a farm they decided that she would return to the classroom.  Shirley loved being an elementary school teacher.  She worked full time from 1968 until 1987 when she retired.

     After Harry died in 1990, she moved to Spencer in 1992.  She became an active member of Grace United Methodist Church.  She participated in UMW, Womens’ clubs such as PEO, card clubs and worked with hospice and provided support to others through this organization.  She visited the elderly and sick in the community.

     A favorite memory of the Woodford family is of the family vacations they took every summer at the insistence of Shirley.  Harry did not always like busy city traffic in places like San Diego and Colorado City where relatives resided but nevertheless he insisted on doing the driving while Shirley read the maps.  Vacations helped the family develop a different perspective from their rural roots in the Webb community where they lived all their lives.

     Shirley would be best described as a social and determined individual with an altruistic and independent streak.

     She passed away at Longhouse in Spencer on Monday, March 26, 2018 at the age of 92.  She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, a sister in infancy and two brothers.

     Left to cherish her memory are her children: Craig Woodford of Gillett Grove, Janet (Bill) Minner of Topeka, KS and Diane (Mike) Wehner of Perry IA; four grandchildren, two great grandchildren; two sisters:  Marjorie Cooper and Donna Rath; other relatives and friends.

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