Alma Lockwood Wright Woods,
82, died unexpectedly but peacefully in her sleep on December 5, 2020, at
Westminster Place in Evanston.
Alma was born on June 20,
1938 in Claremont, N.H. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire in
1960 with a degree in occupational therapy, and moved to Hyde Park in Chicago
to work at Hull House and the Illinois State Psychiatric Institute. She met her
future husband David Nelson Woods – another New Hampshire native and recent UNH
graduate living in Chicago – and they married in Claremont in 1963. Together,
they had two sons.
Alma is survived by Dave,
her loving husband of 57 years, sons Mark Woods (Lisa) of Evanston and Matthew
Woods (Rick Dupre) of St. Paul, Minn., sister Carol Hannaford (Loren Scherbak),
brother Norman Wright Jr. (Linda), grandchildren (Brittany, Alexandra, Tyler,
Olivia, Dillon and Harper), numerous and cherished nieces and nephews,
countless friends, neighbors and former colleagues, and Bobcat.
A life-long Unitarian
Universalist, Alma and Dave were members of the Unitarian Church of Evanston
for over 55 years. Together, they travelled to Russia, Europe, India, and,
until very recently, drove cross-county to New England on an annual pilgrimage
to see family and witness the changing autumn trees. Alma was a music
enthusiast, nature lover and social justice advocate who was committed to her
family and her community. Alma’s long career as an occupational therapist in a
variety of settings throughout the Chicago area reflected her strong belief in
working towards the improvement and dignity of those living with disabilities.
In the early 1980s, she went into private practice and continued to work on a
part-time basis through 2019, never wanting to retire.
Alma will miss her husband’s
jokes and ribbing, bird-watching, her clients and their “paperwork,” her own
disabled parking permit, and listening to stories about her family. Alma is
preceded in death by her parents, Doris Stone Lockwood Wright and Norman Arthur
Wright Sr., and her in-laws Adelbert Nelson Woods, Edna Welch Woods, and
Marilyn Warren Woods.
A celebration of Alma’s life
will be held when possible in 2021. The family thanks the caring staff at
Westminster Place and specifically Foster Pavilion.
In lieu of flowers,
donations can be sent in her name to Evanston Environmental Association, Black
Lives Matter, National Audubon Society, or the Unitarian Church of Evanston’s
Music Fund.