Catherine V. Woodard

Catherine V. Woodard

Catherine "Caye" Veronica Arnold Woodard was born Nov. 8, 1918, to Joel and Mary Arnold in Everett, WA, and died March 22, 2011, at age 92 in Walla Walla, WA.
A funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Friday, June 17, at St. Michael's Catholic Church, 1512 Pine Ave., Snohomish, WA 98290, with a reception afterward.
She met and married C.E. "Bud" Woodard, a lighthouse keeper, at the Umpqua River Coast Guard Station, in 1940. In the 1940s, Catherine started Woodard Construction Company of Seattle and Anchorage with her husband Bud and continued in business until her retirement in 2000. They spent many years in Alaska, where she helped to build the Last Frontier.
Catherine was a charter founding member of the Anchorage Chapter #197 of the National Association of Women in Construction. While living in Alaska, she served as a board member of The Bishop's Attic and as an officer in Toastmistress. Catherine especially enjoyed spending time with her family. She was an artist, avid card and game player and world traveler. Australia, the Middle East, Greece and Europe were a few of her stops on life's journey. She and Bud logged many miles in their Cessna and loved visiting and entertaining at their homes in Anchorage, the Kenai River, the Umpqua River in Oregon and Alexander Creek. Their final destination was their ranch in Walla Walla.
Catherine is survived by her three children, Arnold (Kayla) Woodard of Anchorage, Rick (Sharyn) Woodard of Walla Walla; and Catherine (Cliff) Escobar of Salinas, CA; six grandchildren, Jerry Jones (Robin) of Edmonds, WA, Jon Woodard of Seward, AK, Tara Correll (Dane) of Seattle, Jia Jones (Rod Lewis) of Seattle, Kristina (Shawn) Holdridge, of Anchorage, and Audrey (Jim) Hamlin-Burns of Mountlake Terrace, WA; eight great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson. "Caye" leaves behind many beloved friends, cousins, nieces and nephews; and her remaining siblings, Jeanne McCutchan (Bill) of Snohomish, WA and Marguerite House of Reedsport, OR.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Catherine's name to The National Association of Women in Construction's Education Foundation, P.O. Box 549, Clemson, SC 29633.