Catherine Flora Woodard's Obituary
Mrs. Flora Catherine Woodard, age 93, born November 12, 1914 in Lansing and known to many as “Grandma Kate” passed away on Tuesday, December 4, 2007 at the home of her niece Linda & Bob Simms in Scottville. She was preceded in death by Hiram Woodard, her husband of 48 years, in 1983 and her daughter Constance Anne, who died June 25, 1974. She was also preceded in death by her parents Andrew and Bertha Canberg, brother Warner and sisters Mary and Ruth, and was the last of her generation of a wonderful extended familyShe grew up in Lansing, during the Depression years where her family moved from house to house, always leaving it in better condition than they found it. Her father, a wood carver and furniture maker, loved music and her mother taught piano. Catherine, like the rest of her family, loved to sing. Harmony was her musical specialty, as it was in the way she lived her life. She helped her parents in the family business of window dressings with her sewing and tailoring skills. Driving a car at age twelve, she made deliveries of drapes and other items for her Dad. She graduated from Lansing’s Central High School and married her husband “Hi” in 1935. They moved to Vermontville, MI in the late thirties, to an area where some of her ancestors had settled in the 1800’s.Kate worked at several jobs over the years, including finishing work for a furniture company, before graduating from cosmetology school. After completing the schooling, she owned and operated Kate’s Beauty Shop, and also raised horses with her husband. She was Worthy Matron of the Vermontville chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star and was a friend to all, no matter where she lived. Kate and her husband, Hi, moved to Dewitt to be closer to his work and then, on to Charlotte, where they lived until Hi’s death in 1983. Hi had suffered from diabetes from early youth and Catherine was a knowledgeable and dedicated helper in the management of his health in their life together. Following his death, Catherine retired to Leesburg, FL where she loved to bowl and swim. Following an injury, she decided to live with the Simms, where she has made her home for the past nine years. She became a loving member of the Baha’i Faith and was affectionately known to all as “Grandma”.Throughout her life, Kate was accomplished in cosmetology, tailoring, raising horses, and home and auto repair. She was known for her workmanship and work ethic, always getting the job done well.Catherine is survived by her grandson Brian (Ronda) Roll, their four children Jami (Dan), Jacob (Rhonda), Jessica (Tim), and Justin and her great great grandchildren Chad, Aaron, Brianne, Dakota, and Dillen; her granddaughter Brenda Roll (Duane) Kipp, their two daughters Aimee and Ashley and grandson Guy Morton and son Brock. Her nieces and nephews Rodney Fink, Jean Smyth, Mary Kay Johnson, Linda (Bob) Simms, David (Donna) Elliott and Janet (Richard) Wilkinson will remember her for the love and laughter she freely shared. She is also dearly remembered as a “second mother” to those she provided with love, care, time and concern in their lives.Arrangements for Mrs. Woodard’s burial have been entrusted to Wyman Funeral & Cremation Services, Stephens Funeral Home in Scottville. Interment will take place Thursday afternoon, December 6, at Maple Hill Cemetery in Charlotte, next to her husband and daughter. A gathering to celebrate her life will be held at the home of Linda & Bob Simms FROM 1 TO 5 PM on Sunday, December 16, 2007.
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