Elizabeth Ann (Betty) Woodard, 95, passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at Trinity Healthcare in Columbus, MS.

Graveside services will be held Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at 11:00 A.M. in the Graham Memorial Cemetery in Reform, Alabama, with Rev. Glenn Miller officiating. Lowndes Funeral Home, Columbus, MS will be directing.

Betty was born July 22, 1928, in Brooksville, MS to the late Tommy Joe (TJ) Spivey and Ollie Henderson Spivey. After completing the first grade in Brooksville, her family moved to Columbus, where she attended Franklin Academy and SD Lee High School, graduating in 1946. During these years she and her family were active members of the First United Methodist Church, where she was very involved with UMYF.

Betty graduated from Mississippi State College for Women (MSCW) with a degree in bacteriology in 1950, and began working as a medical technologist in the lab at Mississippi State Hospital in Whitfield, MS. After working there for 1 year, she moved back to Columbus and began working in the lab at the Columbus Hospital. On June 7, 1952, she married the late Charles Woodard of Reform, Alabama, and began her teaching career at Pickens County High School in Reform. In the spring of 1953, she was hired as the first lab technician for the new Hill-Burton hospitals in Reform and Aliceville and held this position until 1956, when she returned to Pickens County High School to teach chemistry and biology which she taught for more than 20 years. One of her biggest thrills was visiting with former students and hearing how well-prepared they were for their college chemistry and biology courses. After retiring from the classroom she returned to healthcare and worked in the lab at the Pickens County Medical Center in Carrollton until her retirement in the early 1980s. Betty was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Reform for many years and served as pianist and organist for over 30 years.

Betty is survived by her sons- James (Sandra) Woodard and Chuck (Kathy) Woodard; grandsons- Dusty Woodard, John (Rachel) Woodard, Alex (Whitney) Woodard, and Jake Woodard; great-grandchildren- Charleigh Woodard, Eli Woodard, Shepherd Woodard, Noah Woodard, and Maddie Woodard; sister- Janice Bond; sister-in-law-Joyce Woodard; and several nieces and nephews.

The family would like to express their gratitude to Gracie Brown, Qualla Brown, and the staff at Trinity Healthcare for their exceptional care over the past several months.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making a donation to the Good Samaritan Medical Clinic, 520 College Street, Columbus, MS 39701, or The Last House on the Block, 206 Tuscaloosa Road, Columbus, MS 39702.