Marion Woods

Marion was born Marian Isobel Hutchings. She later corrected her father’s misspelling of her name on her birth certificate to Marion Isabel. As a child and young woman in England, she was called Marnie by her friends and family. As a model, she was known as Meri Douglas. She married in 1961 and became known as Marion Isabel Smith. She divorced and remarried later to become Marion Smith Woods, a name she retained through her second divorce. She was known later as Mommy, Mama, and Madre by her four children; and Gram and Gramma to her five grands; and Great Gram to her seven greats.

Marion was born on September 25, 1939, in Boscombe, Hants, England

On October 31, 2024, at age 85, Marion was called Home by Jesus from her Medart home in Grants Pass, Oregon where she had fought for three years to recover from aortic aneurysm surgery, determined to again enjoy her independent and socially active lifestyle in service to the Lord.

Marion was quintessential Brit gone American. She was raised in a small country village in England until she met and married Jerry who took her globetrotting for years. She was soft-spoken, well-mannered, and dressed fashionably. Folks were drawn to her, and she had many lifelong friends. She was smart and beautiful, creative and artistic, loved the outdoors and her standard poodles Amber and Topaz. She was devoted to the church and God and taught Sunday School. With her determination and focus, she made a good life for herself with many blessings.

Memorial Services will be held in the Spring, her favorite time of year, in the Northern California Redwoods.

Surviving family members. Brothers: Roger and Robert Hutchings

Four children: Peri Day, Lisa Fritz, Marc Smith and Samantha Marcheso

Five grandchildren: Ronald Smith, Nicole and Justin Smith, Kyle and Ryan Lopez

Seven great grandchildren: Leonardo and Emanuel Lopez, Quinn and Collin Lorentz, and Sawyer, Jaclyn and Wesley Smith.

Predeceased family members

Predeceasing Marion were her parents Alfred and Jessie Rose Hutchings, her sister Rosemary Broadey, her nephew Steven Hutchings, her first husband Gerald Smith and his second wife Dorothy Brown who was Marion’s best friend; and

Marion’s soulmate Arthur Lujan.

Primary School

Burley Elementary School

High School

Twynham High, Christchurch, Hants

College / University / Graduate School

Church of England Children’s Society

Boston College of Nursing, graduated July 1958 an NNMI

Redman Model School in London, Model Training.

Occupation / Career Highlights

Marion worked for 21 years in casualty claims and retired

as a Senior Liability Claims Specialist in 2005

Places of Worship

Granite Hills Baptist Church, Reno, Nevada

Solid Rock Church of Grants Pass, Oregon

Hobbies & Activities

Marion enjoyed the outdoors, gardening, and camping.

As a child, she sang like an angel in the church choir.

She was an artist, drawing in many different mediums.

She could knit and create many handmade dolls, clothes and toys.

for her grand and great grandbabies.

She was a writer with exquisitely beautiful penmanship. Her journals are intricate snapshots of her daily life. She maintained close contact with her estranged family exchanging long newsy letters of the goings on across the pond. When Covid-19 confined her to home she continued writing her family and hundreds of her friends and her church family

She was an amazing cook of healthy food.

She was devoted to her standard poodles Amber and Topaz.

She collected coins and stamps and liked playing cards and listening to Andre Bocelli.

She completed the New York Times Crossword Puzzles IN INK

It was nearly impossible to beat her at Scrabble.

She was universally well-liked.

Her top accolade for which she will be most missed was her storytelling.

Please share a memory of marion in her guestbook.