Vera Woo

Vera Woo, age 86, passed peacefully on June 21, 2025. Vera was the much-beloved wife of Joseph (nee Shing Tung) Woo and mother of Alison and Michael Woo. Joseph and Michael predeceased her.
Born in Port Shepstone, South Africa, Vera was the second eldest in a family of eight and is survived by her youngest sister and numerous nieces and nephews who reside in South Africa, Canada and New York. She launched her nursing career as a Registered Nurse in Durban, working in local schools focusing on community health issues impacting child and maternal health. She later became a midwife delivering more than 200 babies.
In 1968, she emigrated with her husband first to Hong Kong and then to New York. She was a nurse at Coney Island Hospital for more than a decade and held leadership roles at several nursing homes. She became an Infectious Disease specialist and ended her career returning to direct patient care, which she had a passion for, by working for Visiting Nurse Service for 20 years. She was beloved by her patients as a compassionate
healer, helping to solve problems that had plagued them for years. Vera was known for her quick wit and sense of humor. She enjoyed making a home for her husband and children and was an expert bridal designer and seamstress, launching Destiny Gowns, a custom bridal atelier in Brooklyn, New York, to share her passion after
making her own bridal gown years before.
After Joe passed, Vera came to live with her daughter Alison in Pennsylvania. The two enjoyed traveling around the world, including London, Paris, and the Caribbean and entertaining. Vera loved a great party and was often the sous chef for the many gatherings the two hosted at their homes in Philadelphia and Exeter Township. Vera
also was a voracious reader of both fiction and non-fiction and she was never far from a book. She will be missed greatly by all who knew her.
A Memorial Service will be held on July 26, 2025 at 1 p.m. at Kuhn Funeral Home, 739 Penn Avenue, West Reading, PA 19611. Friends and family are welcome to gather beginning at noon.
Please consider making a donation to Vera's favorite charity, Smile Train, a non-profit dedicated to helping repair cleft palates for children so they can smile again. Learn more at www.smiletrain.org.
Edward J. Kuhn is honored to serve Vera's family. Condolences may be expressed at kuhnfuneralhomes.com