Catherine Woods

CATHERINE "KAY" WOODS Mount Vernon Catherine "Kay" Woods, 81, passed away Nov. 27, 2015, at Hallmark Care Center in Mount Vernon. Memorial Mass: 10:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 4, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Mount Vernon. Visitation: 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Mount Vernon, with a rosary service at 3 p.m. Burial will be at Mount Vernon Memorial Cemetery at a later date. She was born Catherine Christine Maier on June 24, 1934, in Philadelphia, Pa., to Frank and Mary Agnes (Heisse) Maier. Kay was raised in Philadelphia, attending and graduating from John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls' High School in 1952. She met Robert "Bob" Woods after he was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1954. After a whirlwind courtship of 30 days, they were married in Elkton, Md., on Aug. 31, 1954. They moved to the family farm south of Mount Vernon, where they would spend their 40-year marriage in partnership, farming and raising their four children: Kevin, Carol, Michael and James. Kay worked at Mount Vernon community schools in the superintendent's office and also served as the "Lunch Lady" and took tickets at all sports events, which she enjoyed greatly. She lost her husband to cancer in 1994 and spent the next 19 years living on the farm, active in the lives of her children, grandchildren and eventually great-grandchildren. Kay was a lifelong Catholic, active in attending and participating at St. John's Catholic Church in Mount Vernon. Kay is survived by her four children, three of whom live on parcels of the family farm, Kevin (Mary), Carol (Terry) Woods-Boren and James, all of Ivanhoe Road, and Michael (Joleen) of Mount Vernon; seven grandchildren, Sarah and Lynn Woods (Derek) of Cedar Rapids, Derek (Lori) Boren, Nick (Teressia) Boren, Sean Boren (Brooke), all of rural Mount Vernon, and Dylan Woods and Kyle Woods, who spent much of their childhood living with Kay; stepgrandchildren, Chrissy Swartzendruber (Jim), Erin Rogers and Lisa Norman; 15 great-grandchildren, Alex and Isabelle McClusky, Madie, Lexie and Rylie Boren and Caitlyn, Kenzie, Noah and Ivy Boren, Tyler and Trevor Harapat, Cameron Swartzendruber, Thomas, James and Paisley Cart; sisters-in-law – a large part of Kay's life for 60 years – Marilynn Overman of Cedar Rapids and Mickey Woods of Mount Vernon; 12 nieces and nephews, Steve, Nancy and Terry Overman, Doug, Denny and Dave Pitlik, Kelly, Deb and Sally Gardeman, and Jill, Kenny and Keith Woods; from her Philadelphia roots, her brother, and second most important man in her life, Art (Mary) Maier. Also surviving are many nieces, nephews and cousins and their families on the East Coast; and her best friend and co-conspirator in all things, Donna Hotz of Mount Vernon. Over the years, several Philadelphia relatives ventured to the unsettled farmland of Iowa, where, at first, they were concerned about Mom having electricity. Rita and Swede Toften and Mary Anne and Kenneth Rocks were the most frequent visitors. Recent visitors Marianne Maier and Chrissy Sermarini-Kelly arrived this summer with Kay's brother, "Sonny" – a thrilling surprise. Kay was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Bob; sisters, Mary (Andrew) Crawford, Rita (James) Walsh and Carolyn (William) Stalnecker; and brothers and sisters-in-law, Ray Overman, Eddie and Sis Pitlik, Joyce and Leon Gardeman and Chuck Woods. We all think our moms are special and, indeed, they are. Kay had her faults, and all who loved her knew them. But there was never a child, neighbor, nor errant son, who was not given shelter from the storm when needed, or a grandchild who wasn't spoiled with toys or cookies, because, to Gammi Kay, they were special, and they knew it – a great gift in itself. Diets, housecleaning, checkbooks and finances were an eternal mystery to her, but loving and caring for family, children and people in general, were not. If compassion is the coin of heaven, she died a rich woman indeed. The family would like to thank Essence of Life Hospice and especially the staff at Hallmark Care Center, who became a second family to Kay while generously caring for her for the past two years. She was surrounded by love, laughter and endless "parties." Although not originally written by her, in her own perfect Catholic school cursive penmanship (the nuns would be proud), Mom left these words to be included in her obituary: "There will be a tomorrow that exists without me. When that day arrives, I want this world to have seen greater beauty because I existed. I want my life to have meant something. I want this world to be brighter. I want this world to be happier. I want people to have smiled more, laughed more, because I spent time here. I want others to have seen and felt the uniqueness of my spirit and if I accomplished that when my soul does move on and my gift stays here and makes just one ripple, I will look down and I will smile, I will smile wide." Memorials may be directed to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Mount Vernon Community School Foundation, MV Volunteer Fire Association, or MV Veterans Memorial Fund. Please share your support and memories with Kay's family on her tribute wall at www.stewartbaxter.com under obituaries.