Magdlene "Maggie" Woodward

Magdlene “Maggie” Woodward, 82, of Lancaster, Ohio, passed away surrounded by loved ones on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at the Fairhope Hospice Pickering House. From humble beginnings in the heart of Coal County, West Virginia, on September 4, 1942, Magdlene was determined that a better life was possible. Inspired by her Aunt Polly, Maggie joined her sister’s family on a Dairy Farm near Centerburg, Ohio, and later on a nearby Cattle Farm. While still in her teens, Maggie struck out on her own as a live-in babysitter. As luck would have it, a similar position soon opened up for an elderly couple in Mt. Vernon. While performing her duties there, she took a mail-order nursing course from the Chicago School of Nursing. With that diploma in hand, she accepted a Nurse’s Aide position at the local Catholic hospital.

After marrying her loving husband Tom, Maggie followed her husband’s employment by working at Newark’s Licking Memorial Hospital as a Respiratory Therapist and later in the ER. As her family settled in Lancaster, Maggie found enjoyment working at the Fairfield Medical Center in the new coronary care unit, known at the time as “One West.” Maggie completed her 40+ years in the medical profession, working in the offices of Dr. John R. Bowling, Dr. David Dunbar, and Dr. Srinivas Kolli. Maggie’s philosophy was “the patient always comes first”, all while raising her family. She enjoyed gardening and home design. She was an avid bluegrass music lover, but above all, Maggie loved her family.

Maggie is survived by her beloved husband of 60 years, Tom Woodward; children, Kevin (Delia Rose Angles) Woodward of Austin, TX, and Stephanie (Kent) Bretzinger of Duncan Falls, OH; grandchildren, Brittany (Aaron) Basehart of New Concord, OH, Alejandra Yanai Woodward and Sofia Illari Woodward of Austin, TX; great-grandchildren, Noah and Luke Basehart of New Concord, OH; brothers, Garrett Baker of Woodbridge, VA and Lee Wolford of Paynesville, WV. She was preceded in death by her parents, James H. and Zettie Baker; her sisters, Rosella “Tiny” Mullins, Bobbie Jean Vance, Maxine Davis, and Goma Sue Baker; and her brothers, Jimmy Wolford and Lloyd Baker.

A funeral service will take place Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at 10:00 am at Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church, 1596 George Road, Lancaster, OH. Friends and family may visit on Monday, August 11, 2025, from 7-9 pm at the Frank E. Smith Funeral Home Chapel. Entombment will follow the service at Floral Hills Memory Gardens Mausoleum.

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