Eileen Woods Obituary DOD 8-15-17
Eileen Woods passed away peacefully on August 15, 2017 of natural causes at the age of 91. She was born Eileen Norma Kolb on December 4, 1925 in the same house on Lockeford Street where she would live for the first 21 years of her life. At age nine she started taking piano lessons from Lola Wilkinson and by the time she was nineteen became the featured “young artist” piano soloist with the Stockton Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Manlio Silva. She graduated from Lodi High School in 1943, attended the University of the Pacific, and married her high school sweetheart, Robert (Bob) Woods when he returned from the war in 1946. Their first date was attending the Lodi High School harvest dance when she was only fourteen years old. They were happily married for 66 years. During retirement Eileen and Bob enjoyed traveling to Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica and Europe, even returning home from Paris on the Concorde in 1985. They vacationed in Hawaii for two weeks every winter to escape the valley fog. During the 50’s and 60’s Eileen taught piano lessons in her home and displayed her love of music to many Lodi children during that time. She was the German service organist for St. Peter’s Lutheran Church when it was located in downtown Lodi, Redeemer Lutheran Church and until recently played piano/organ duets with the organist at Zion Lutheran Church where she was a member. Always a gracious and proper lady she will be remembered most for her love and kindness to everyone. She always made a special point of knowing and remembering the name of everyone she came in contact with during her lifetime. Eileen was a member of the California Music Teachers Association and past officer of the Emperor Branch of the Lodi Memorial Hospital Auxillary. She was preceded in death by her daughter Connie and her husband Bob. She is survived by her daughters Shelly (Terry) Fischer of Sebastopol, Maryann (Ben) Spradley of Santa Barbara, five grandchildren and two great-grandsons. A private graveside service will be held. Any charitable donations may be made to the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music or to Zion Lutheran Church memorial fund.