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| Geraldine Woodrum |
"She was an integral part of the community," Sally Kinniard posted in the Midway Musings group on Facebook.
"She was the best newspaper delivering person around," Betty Penn Harrod said on Musings, "She will be missed." Peggy Milam Sharon said, "When she left the paper, no one could hold a candle to her work ethic ever again."
"Geraldine was the nicest person you would ever meet," former mayor Tom Bozarth said. "I still see that smile, the van with the yellow light flashing every morning, and the inserts she put in the paper for events."
The family held visitation this evening at Clark Funeral Home in Versailles. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Clementsville in her native Casey County, with burial in the church cemetery. Pallbearers will be Josh Whitaker, Melvin Montgomery, Tyler Woodrum, Joe Woodrum, Scott Woodrum and Archie Woodrum.
She was the widow of Melvin T. Woodrum and is survived by her children, Rita (James) Allen, Frankfort; Freda (Dennis) Whitaker, Versailles; Monica Keeton, Versailles; Marsha Wells, Frankfort; Marie (Richard) Kirk, Frankfort; Archie Woodrum, Harrodsburg; Joe (Becky) Woodrum, Lawrenceburg; Jeff (Trish) Woodrum, Midway; and Angela (Johnie) Tudor, Nicholasville; a sister, Mary Frances Phillips of Ohio; a brother, Phillip Wethington of Georgia; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.
UPDATE: A remembrance and tribute by a great-granddaughter, Lisa Howell, has been added as a comment to this story. It begins, "Few people in life get to meet their great grandparents. Even less get to have them for 32+ years of their lives. The Lord blessed me with not only knowing my great grandmother but having one of the best."
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Alzheimer’s Association or Bluegrass Care Navigators.
From Lisa Howell:
ReplyDeleteGeraldine Woodrum was my great grandmother.
Few people in life get to meet their great grandparents. Even less get to have them for 32+ years of their lives. The Lord blessed me with not only knowing my great grandmother but having one of the best.
When she was just months from finishing high school, she dropped out to marry my great grandfather and raise my grandmother and her sister after their mom had passed away. When asked why she couldn't wait to finish her last few months of school she said, "I just couldn't stand seeing those babies without a mom."
Growing up, she was always just a bike ride away. Her door was always open where you would find her sitting at her dining room table always ready to tell you about people she swore you knew (when you really had no idea) and her latest furniture find in someone's trash on the paper route.
Christmases at Granny's were huge. We eventually had to move to meeting at a church to have room for everyone. She always made sure everyone had a gift to open even if it was house shoes that didn't fit four years in a row. (I wouldn't trade that memory for a million other gifts.)
When you would take her to a Mexican restaurant she had to read EVERY SINGLE item and the full description on the menu before deciding what to order. By the time she was ready to order I would be 3 chip baskets in and too full to eat anything.
Like most in the family, I had the opportunity to help Granny with her paper route. Every Sunday she was call me between 2 and 3 a.m. after she would pickup the front page to meet her back at her paper building to add the inserts. After nearly two years of thinking she needed my help and her thinking I needed the extra money, I was ever so glad to "retire" from that job.
Covid robbed her of meeting the twins (because she was in a nursing home) and me getting to hear her say, "well come here butterball" to them. One of the last times I saw her she asked what I was naming the babies. Her facial expression made it quite clear she was NOT a fan of my name choices. I have no doubt if she got to meet them she would be getting on me for not feeding them mash taters and gravy yet because "that's what she did in her day and her kids are just fine." I did get to see her face light up after seeing pictures of them though.
Her thoughts on labor and delivery were hilarious, her work ethic couldn't be beat, her wit couldn't be matched and her love for her family couldn't be questioned.
I will miss her like crazy and love her forever. 💙