Ruth Virginia Woods

 Cherished wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Ruth Virginia Woods, passed away peacefully in her home on January 23, 2022, due to natural causes.  Ruth was the daughter of Edith Annie and James H. Riley, born the 2nd of December 1917 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She married John Holding Woods on April 28, 1941. Ruth attended schools in the Granite School District but left her education early to help provide financial support for her ailing parents. She worked for the Wholesale Drug Company in Salt Lake City, Utah. Shortly after their marriage they moved to Seattle, WA. Next their home was in Cheyenne, WY, and it was there that their only child, John Norman Woods, was born. After World War II the family resided in South San Francisco, CA, later to Arlington Hts, IL, and in retirement to Layton, Utah. While in California, Ruth worked for the South San Francisco School District and while in Illinois she managed a Hallmark Gift Shop. Her circle of friends extends all across this broad land and overseas to the British Isle and Europe and west to Australia, all of whom she had much love and respect for. The fun and joy of meals with her family or with her friends meant much to her. Sewing, knitting, cooking and taking care of her numerous house plants was a source of great pleasure to her. She loved the great outdoors, her homes and her yards. She wanted her homes to be a place of refuge where all who came therein, could feel a spirit of love and well-being. Ruth devoted many hours of her life in serving others far beyond the normal circle of family and friends. Nothing she said was more rewarding than to be a teacher of children. Virginia wanted to thank the many doctors and nurses and others who have cared for her, for the Hospice organization for the kind and thoughtful care given to her, for her friends and neighbors who have shown such great love, respect and devotion to her, and to all who in anyway brought meaning and happiness to her life. She said that her life was enriched beyond words by the love and support of her family. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Earl W. Julian Jr. She is survived by her husband, son, John N. Woods (wife, Cecilia), five grandchildren, Lisa Johnson (Steve), May Yearsley (Bob), Shelley Harris (Anthony) and Robert and Walter Woods, and seven great- grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, at Virginia's request, the family suggest a donation to the Primary Children's Medical Center, or to the Shriners Hospital for Children, both located in Salt Lake City.