Jo Ann Woods

Jo Ann "MeeMaw" Woods of Vermilion, Ohio passed away peacefully on October 26, 2017, the anniversary of her husband's death, while surrounded by loved ones. Her passing followed a brief illness due to her fierce decade long battle with COPD. Born in Dille, West Virginia on March 6, 1945, Jo Ann spent the best years of her life growing up in Widen, West Virginia. She moved to Vermilion On-The-Lake in 1966, where she lived the remainder of her life. However, she frequently visited family in her home state. She retired from Vermilion Local Schools, where she worked for 25 years in the cafeteria. She was a lifelong Democrat whose home was the staging location for Vermilion's 2012 Organizing for America campaign for President Obama. Jo Ann was proud of being a coal miner's daughter and a union man's wife. She was a member of the Madeleine Chapter #204 Order of the Eastern Star for over 40 years and attended church at Harbourtown Community Foursquare Church. After retirement, she volunteered as a cook at Grace's Kitchen in Vermilion. She enjoyed camping and four-wheeling with her husband, playing bingo, taking bus trips to casinos, and going to Fiesta Cancun with her friends. She was a fan of country and gospel music, and enjoyed attending revivals and concerts. No matter where she went, Jo Ann was quick to make a friend and she never knew a stranger. She will be remembered for her generosity, her easy smile, her sharp sense of humor, and her hillbilly witticisms. She loved to cook and offered anyone who visited a home-cooked meal. Having had a special relationship with her grandmother, Mary, she especially treasured her time spent watching her granddaughters grow up. Above all else, Jo Ann valued her relationships with God and the people in her life. She is survived by her daughter, Marsha Woods of Vermilion; son, David Woods of Vermilion; granddaughter, Kristina Woods, whom she raised; and granddaughters Alyssa Madison (Matt), and Chantal Woods. After facing a life-threatening illness last March, Jo Ann fought for her life, with the specific purpose of living to see the births of her grandson, Samuel and great-grandsons, Jonas and August. She passed away three weeks after the youngest was born. Jo Ann is also survived by her brother, Gary Brown and his daughters, April and Ryan Brown; half-sister, Janet Brown; brother-in-law, Michael Woods and family; sisters-in-law, Anita Brown, Kay Remy, and Debbie Meadows; nephew, Dustin Brown; nieces, Tuesday Brown and Melissa Winebrenner (Brown); and cousin and friend, Ruth Faye Mullins. She is survived by numerous friends whom she considered family, including James and Kimberly Tedford, Amber Boggs, Janet Fisher, Kathleen Gillespie, Marcia Fuller, Janice Nahm, Richard "Dinky" Edwards, and the Suarez family. Jo Ann is preceded in death by her husband, Norval Joe Woods; infant son, Norval Ray Woods; mother, Edna Strickland; father, Ray Brown; brothers, Bobby Brown and Michael Brown; sister-in-law, Deborah Wood; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins, including Ralph and Jeanine Williams, Wayne and Sandra Grubb, and Jimmy Blankenship, whom she loved dearly. The family would like to thank Mercy Regional Medical Center's 4-West and ICU nursing staff and Mercy Home Health Care's physical therapy team, as well as doctors, Ashok Makadia, Craig Recko, Geena Mohan, Abdul Razack, Cole Seder, Amir Naragi, and Robert Thomas for extending the length and improving the quality of Jo Ann's life beyond her prognosis. Friends and family will celebrate Jo Ann's life at Riddle Funeral Home in Vermilion, Ohio on Tuesday, October 31, 2017 from 12 Noon until the time of the service at 1:00 p.m. Pastors Jim Cooper and Heidi Strickler will co-officiate. Burial will be at Walnut Grove Church Cemetery in Clay County, West Virginia, on Wednesday, November 1, 2017 at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please send memorial donations to Shriners Hospital for Children. https://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/donat Online condolences maybe made at www.riddlefuneralhome.com