Our Dear Irish Rose

On Thursday February 22, 2024, at 7:05PM our beloved mother Margaret Woods (nee Woodside) passed away in peace and contentment at the age of 102 years and 8 months. Her daughters, Sue, and Caroline were at her side. She was predeceased by her loving husband Fred (1996), her mother Margaret and father James Woodside, her sisters, Carrie, Ella, Annie, and Molly, and brothers, Jack, Hugh, Jim, and Tom.

She was the loving mother of Caroline (Laszlo), David (Faye) and Sue (Michael), grandmother of Meghan (Mark) and Jason (Christine) and Great Grandmother of Luke, Peter, Isaac, Evelyn, and Cigi.

She leaves behind her dear brother-in-law Frank (Red) Woods and sister-in-law Jean Woodside (UK), cousin William Woodside (NI) and many nieces and nephews in Canada, the UK, the US, and Northern Ireland, and their families.

Mom was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland as the second youngest child in a large family. Mom was a very bright student and excelled in her studies but was denied the chance to go to college on scholarship. She was a Girl Guide member and took up cycling the Irish countryside right to St Patrick’s Mountain (and this was the cause of her bad knees).

She left home at the age of 18 for London, England and worked for 10 years at a large accounting firm, enjoying a lively social life including performances at Covent Gardens with her girlfriends. Mom endured the Blitz during WW II – a harrowing time for a young woman - and rationing afterwards.

Mom immigrated to Canada after the war, arriving on the Queen Mary. She was sponsored by her sister Annie who had already landed. While it took some time for mom to find a position in her field, she was eventually hired by Franco-Canadian Leatherwear Company as the office manager and accountant and remained there for 25 years until she retired.

Mom met the love of her life, and married our dad, Fred, and became part of the very large Woods family. (Mom being an introvert and quite shy, found herself in the midst of extroverts!). She found time to have three children – the joy of her life; she endured a rustic cottage, took up Yoga for health, summer holidays in Cape May, NJ, and on Lake Couchiching at the new cottage, and also spent time in Clearwater, Florida to escape winter for a bit. In 1997 she ventured across the pond with her daughters to visit the UK, Wales, NI and Eire. What fun!

In retirement she continued to work at various companies and then volunteered at local kindergartens. The little ones just loved her. She was also popular at the various events, clubs, and activities at her Condo.

Books were always on the go from Agatha Christie to James Harriot, and she watched many British series, her favourite being The Last of the Summer Wine.

Mom always kept a positive and happy outlook no matter what challenges were in front of her. Dementia gradually took away her mobility and other abilities in the last few years, but she remained a gentle and loving Mother, Grandmother, and Great grandmother, Aunt and Great Aunt.

We were blessed by the loving care of her PSWs from Spectrum Health over the past years: Glenny, Rhodora, Rovelynda, Sue-yen, Skakeeba and Rebecca; her nurses from ParaMed: Grazyna and Urszula who tended to her with such gentleness and care in the last few months; her nurse-practitioner, Andrew and Dr Tam from Unison Health, the Palliative Care team from Dorothy Ley in the last week of her life.

We will miss her dearly and she will remain in our hearts for ever.

“May the Irish hills caress you. May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of
Saint Patrick behold you.”

Friends may call at the Turner & Porter Yorke Chapel, 2357 Bloor St. W., on Thursday March 7th from 2-4 p.m. & 6-8 p.m. A Funeral Service will be held in the Chapel on Friday March 8, 2024, at 11 a.m. Interment will follow at Sanctuary Park Cemetery.