Mary E. Woodard

Mary E. Bearickx Woodard, 87, of Ottawa, KS passed away Friday, March 4, 2011. Mrs. Woodard had formerly lived in Fort Wayne, IN, Payne, Ohio and after retirement she and her husband moved to Bonita Springs, FL. Following the death of her husband, Paul in 2002, she lived in Tennessee and in 2006 she moved to Kansas where she lived a full and happy life with her granddaughter, Deborah (Mike) Brown and great grandchildren, Kristin Larsen, Kelsey Stappert and Preston Stappert. She was born on January 6, 1924 in Fort Wayne, IN to the late Charles L. and Julie (Dewitt) Bearickx. She worked as a homemaker and attended Abundant Life Pentecostal Church. She enjoyed writing letters, going on several cruises with her husband, gardening, sewing, cooking, studying her Bible, being in church, and she thoroughly enjoyed spending time with family. She also enjoyed going to England in 1993 to meet her pen pal that she’d had since the 8th grade. Surviving family include her daughter, Pamela Lacrone Stork of Columbia, TN; step-children, Karen (Dick) Woodard Gilfillan of Cashiers, NC, Terry J. (Mary) Woodard of Paulding, OH, Jerry A. Woodard of Ft. Wayne; brother, George Fisher of Yucca Valley, CA; 8 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren, and 2 great great grandchildren. Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Paul Eldon Woodard; daughter, Sondra Lacrone Graft; brothers, Bill Fisher and Chuck Bearickx. A memorial service will take place at 6:00 pm on Thursday, March 10, 2011 at Brookside Community Center in Overbrook, KS. A graveside service will take place at 1:00 pm on Saturday, March 12, 2011 at Oak Lawn Cemetery, 701 South Jefferson St., Ossian, IN. Dengel and Son Mortuary were in charge of the Kansas arrangements. Memorials may be made to Abundant Life church, 3115 West 6th Street, Suite A, Lawrence, KS 66049. Elzey-Patterson-Rodak Funeral Home, Ossian will be handling local arrangements. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through dengelmortuary@sbcglobal.net