Beverly Ann Blanchard Woodward Wielatz

Cancer just wouldn't let me live out more of my retirement or let me hang out around Grants Pass any longer, and took me on May 21st , 2015 at age 71.

I am survived by my first husband, Bill Woodward, of 22 years; my second husband, Richard Wielatz, of 24 years; my two sons, Barry and Brian Woodward, of Calif.; my daughter, Brianne Kelley Simpkins, of Wash.; my beautiful seven grandchildren; and I am so pleased to have known and loved my first husband's children, Christine Hysell, of Ariz.; Paul Douglas and William Gregory Woodward, of Wash.; as well as my husband Richard's children, Michele Prater, of Colo., and Michael Wielatz, of Calif., all of whom own nine of my step-grandchildren.

My Dad, Barnett Blanchard, a Tech Sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Force, as they called it then, met my mother, Margaret Spence, a member of the Royal Air Force, at a Halloween dance held on base in Scotland in 1942. They married in 1943, and I was born in Scotland in 1944. I had my first birthday aboard the Isle de France, the last ship to leave the UK for America during WWII.

We settled in the Bay Area of California, where most of my Dad's family resided. Within the next eight years, I had three brothers to deal with: Barry, Gerry and Michael Blanchard. Barry suffered with leukemia and left us at the young age of 8. Gerry and Michael still reside in the Bay Area, retired from their successful chosen fields, and watching over their seven children.

Daddy studied hard and became a flight engineer for TWA. He flew all over the world for the airline, much like his father, Floyd Blanchard, one of the first designers of the Yuba City Gold Dredge, who traveled and lived in various parts of the world heading up mining projects. Because of his job, Dad was transferred to other parts of our country, therefore, we lived in New York and Massachusetts, where I graduated High School, before the family's return to California in 1961.

My first job out of high school was working at NASA Moffett Field, Calif. in the personnel department, where I developed a system to keep track of the whereabouts of literally hundreds of employment applications. Don't forget, 1962 did not afford us the convenience of desktop computers, so one needed to be creative! The last year of my three-year hitch at NASA was spent as the Assistant Editor of the employee publication, 'The Astrogram'. I really enjoyed that job and I even got to meet and shake the hand of astronaut McDivett.

1964 found me married to Bill Woodward, whose expertise was electronics sales. I worked in a secretarial capacity in a few of his endeavors. From 1965 through 1971, our children were born, who turned out to be wonderful people. As their mother, I couldn't be more proud.

1976 found us moving to the 'country': Fiddletown, Calif. Yes, there's a bumper sticker, 'Where The He– is Fiddletown?'. We purchased the local beer and wine bar; but when a newer building came up for sale, we sold the bar and opened the Yankee Fiddler restaurant. Yes, I was the Chef, the Chief, and served the food. I had a blast, and met so many good folks while serving up dishes known throughout the world. But it's hard work and a very demanding business.

Our sons joined the Navy and saw the world.

1986 was the year Bill and I moved to Washington with our daughter, but also divorced. The hard work at a restaurant doesn't even compare to a divorce!

I went back to the Mother Lode area in Calif., worked hard to get my life back on track; settled in Jackson, Calif., and became a Northern California Marketing Rep for a company who sold bankcard services to merchants. It was during that time that I hired a salesman, who later became my second husband, Rich. That's one way to land a man! We became avid country western line dancers and often performed at events as members of the 'Boot Scooters Dance Team'.

We married in July, 1991. We decided to buy a fifth wheel and travel the western states to determine where we'd like to retire someday. The fifth wheel was so large, that it was cheaper to purchase a big rig truck to haul it... so we did. Rich, not new to driving the big trucks, worked the freightliner everywhere we went. The last job over the eight years we spent RVing, was in Utah, hauling road equipment for the I-15 reconstruction in prep for the 2000 Olympics. Our last destination was Oregon. We checked out several areas and decided upon Grants Pass: a beautiful, yet small, community of good values and mild weather. We arrived in 2000 and never looked back.

Early 2001, I became an Oregon Real Estate Broker at ERA Prestige Homes and an active member of the local chapter of the Women's Council of Realtors, while Rich drove truck for a local company out of White City. Over time, the economy and circumstances made us sell our home, retire, and move into an adult park. Where, I might add, it has been the perfect place for us at this time in our lives. We spent the next two years upgrading our home and; unfortunately, I spent the last two years fighting cancer, for which there is no cure, just treatment.

I especially want to thank my dear husband, Richard; my wonderful son, Barry; my beautiful daughter, Kelley; and my best friend, Heather Martinez for their never-ending love and support during this difficult time of my life.

The inevitable has happened; however, knowing a bit ahead of time was a blessing, and has afforded me the opportunity to get our 'papers' in order, say my goodbyes to those I hold dear, and write my own obituary!

Although it was my life story in a nutshell, it would take the whole newspaper to acknowledge and thank all the wonderful people I have met and loved over my personal and entrepreneurial lifetime: my friends, my co-workers, my neighbors and most of all, my family.

Please don't wait to show love to your family, be true to a friend, support a co-worker, or get along with and respect your neighbor, because you might not have the time... if you wait.

No memorial services are planned. Remembrances may be made to the American Cancer Society.