Catherine Elizabeth Woods

1970 - 2020

REED CITY -- On Sept. 6, 2020, Catherine Elizabeth (Knapp) Woods, wife of John Woods and mother of Kaitlin Adrian and Austin Dale Woods, passed away unexpectedly from natural causes at the age of 49.

The family invites everyone who wishes to celebrate Cathy's life to join them for a memorial service at Albright Park (3156 S. 190th Ave., Reed City, MI) on Oct. 3, 2020, with visitation at 11 a.m. and a service at noon. A luncheon will be provided, with ample room for social distancing.

Cathy was born on Oct. 30, 1970, in Rochester, to Ronald and Stephanie (Wrzesinski) Knapp. She graduated from Laingsburg High School in 1989, and from Michigan State University's Veterinary Technology program in 1991.

Growing up, Cathy raised horses and rabbits and was active in the Clinton County 4-H program. She was fortunate to have had a career doing what she was put on this earth to do, taking care of animals as a vet tech. She started her career at Zeeb Animal Hospital in DeWitt, and then relocated to Reed City, where she spent more than 20 years at 19 Mile Veterinary Clinic before moving to the Riversbend Animal Hospital. Cathy was gifted in her work and touched the lives of everyone she met.

On March 28, 1998, she married John Woods. Cathy was an amazing person who loved fiercely and had tremendous zeal for being a farmer's wife. Two of her favorite places were the family cottage on Gun Lake and her grandparent's farm in Kaleva, where she spent summers and holidays as a child and continued to enjoy with her husband and children as an adult.

She was an active 4-H mom, whose summer revolved around the Osceola County Fair where Austin and Kaitlin showed dairy cattle, beef steers, beef heifer, goats and pigs. She also was active in the Reed City Band Boosters and Soccer Moms and taught Sunday school. Her life was well rounded and she was taken from it all way too soon.

In addition to being an amazing wife and mother, she was a wonderful daughter, sister, aunt and person. She will be missed by everyone who knew her and the many animals that she loved and cared for. We do not understand why, but God reached down and saw an angel and she was lifted to her heavenly home to be reunited with her infant daughter and grandparents.

Cathy was preceded in death by her daughter, Elice Frances (twin to Kaitlin); her grandparents, Joseph and Frances Wrzesinski, formerly of Dewitt; and Lt. Col. Gaylord and Shirley Knapp, formerly of San Antonio, Texas; as well as her uncles, Joseph Wrzesinski, Jr. and Larry Anderson.

She is survived by her husband, John; children, Kaitlin and Austin; parents, Ron and Stephanie (Wrzesinski) Knapp; sisters, Caryn (Brian) Drenth and Beth (Eric Reed) Knapp-Reed; parents-in-law, Dale and Wava (Schwalm) Woods; sister-in-law Sharon (Mark) Todd; as well as nine nieces and nephews; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Cathy's name may be made to The Epilepsy Foundation or to a memorial fund established at Lake Osceola State Bank under John Woods f/b/o Woods Children's College Fund.