Luigia Woody's Obituary
Luigia Woody, a resident of Olympia for 42 years, died peacefully at home on June 24, 2022, following a short placement in hospice. She was 94 years old.
Luigia was born December 13, 1927 in Naples, Italy to Francesco Buonaurio and Rosaria DiPalma. She was the second oldest of six children – three sisters, one brother and one adopted brother. Luigia, who was affectionately referred to as CiCi by her siblings, attended Catholic school throughout her entire upbringing.
In 1964, Luigia came to the United States to help raise her two young nephews following the unexpected passing of her eldest sister’s husband. After several visa extensions, Luigia ended up staying in the United States, settling in Lakewood at the time. She married Thomas Earl Woody, a United States Army serviceman, in 1970. Shortly thereafter, the couple moved to Fort Polk, LA, where Thomas was restationed. In 1974, Luigia’s only child, Anthony, was born. The military couple eventually settled back to the Pacific Northwest.
Luigia was a devoted wife and stay at home mother. She enjoyed gardening, cooking, visiting with family, watching game shows and reminiscing about life in Italy. Upon hearing of Luigia’s passing, a niece described her aunt as a “beautiful, refined and intelligent woman.”
Life dealt Luigia several major setbacks, including the destruction of war on her beloved Naples, the loss of her husband and chronic physical pain, but she navigated those challenges through devotion to family, pride in her Italian heritage and faith in the Lord our God.
In addition to her son, Anthony, Luigia is survived by a granddaughter, Myra, an eldest sister Rosa Surratt, and multiple generations of nieces and nephews in Italy and the United States.
Visitation will be held from 12-4pm on Saturday, July 2 at Mountain View Memorial Park. Funeral services are scheduled for 1pm on Sunday, July 10 with interment at 2:30pm.
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