Joseph Francis Woods

Joseph Francis Woods died Oct. 2, 2011, in Sebastopol at age 98.
He was the child of Irish immigrants. His father William (Quille)
was born in County Limerick and his mother Margaret, also known as
Maggie, was born in County Cavan. Woods was born in 1913 in
Buffalo, NY. He was the first of his family to attend college,
graduating from Canisius College, where he received a medal in
philosophy. He enlisted in the army during World War II and
subsequently in the Air Corp. The military sent him to the
California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and there he
acquired a masters degree in meteorology. While stationed in San
Francisco, he became reacquainted with a high school classmate,
Anne Butler, who had moved to San Francisco during the war. They
were married in 1945 in Holyoke, MA and they moved to the Bay Area
the following year. They raised their family in Colma, CA. He
taught the deaf at Gough School for the Deaf and later mathematics
at Presidio Junior High and Marina Junior High, in San Francisco.
He ended his teaching career in 1977. Woods was preceded in death
by his wife, Anne and his daughter, Kitty. He is survived by his
daughter Mary Anne (Steve) Sobieraj of Cazadero, his daughter
Patricia (Larry) Bliquez of Seattle, his daughter Christine (John)
Bertko of San Francisco; his son, Joe Woods and by his grandsons,
Steve and his wife, Leisa Sobieraj; Justin and his wife, Shannon
Sobieraj; and Sean Woods and wife Amy Woods; granddaughters, Alice
and Rebecca Bliquez, Kate and Liz Bertko; and great-grandchildren,
Sophia and Sam Sobieraj. The family would like to express their
appreciation to his caregivers Kara Cava, Lidio Reyes, Niza Tovar,
and his son Joe for all they did to make his last years
comfortable. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to
Martin de Porres House of Hospitality, 225 Potrero Ave., San
Francisco, CA 94103 or Redwood Empire Food Bank, 3320 Industrial
Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95403.