Ann Marie (Riley) Woodward, 97
Ann Marie (Riley) Woodward passed away on Jan. 22, 2025, in Kalispell. Ann was born on May 18, 1927, in Patterson, New Jersey. She always told everyone that she was a "sickly" baby and yet she proved the doctors wrong by living to be 97.
She attended schools in New Jersey and after graduation began working in the office of a local dairy. While working there she soon met the love of her life, Stewart "Woody" Woodward. He then soon went off to complete his degree in electrical engineering at the University of Oklahoma. When he returned, they were soon married in the rectory of a local church. The couple settled in Patterson as Woody began working for General Electric.
In 1955 they were blessed with the birth of their son, Kevin and in 1959 a daughter, Arlene joined the family. They family lived in Stratford, Connecticut until 1972 when Woody was transferred to the GE plant in Morrison, Illinois where he worked until his retirement in 1986. After his retirement, they were lucky enough to be able to travel which took them to places all over the world.
Ann was the ultimate housewife. Everything was perfection from the dog to the house to Woody. His garden kept him busy all summer long which then led to Anns months of canning and freezing food, enough to feed an army.
In 1989 they moved to El Paso, Texas and lived there until 2004 when they moved to Kalispell to be near Kevin and his family.
In 2009, Woody moved into Immanual Lutheran Home where he resided until his passing in 2010.
In 2018 Ann moved into Kalispell Assisted Living where she resided until her passing.
She is survived by Kevin (Monica) of Kalispell and Arlene (Richard) of Cape Cod, Massachusetts; two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her best friend, Shirley Burns.
Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at Glacier Memorial Gardens followed by a reception, to be announced.