Nancy Carol Woodward
April 18, 1945 - February 27, 2023
Ferndale, California - Nancy Carol Woodward, of Ferndale CA, passed away unexpectedly February 27 at her home. She is survived by three sons, Aaron Hutsch of Highlands Ranch, CO, Eli Woodward of Fortuna, CA, and Miley Betts, also of Highlands Ranch, CO; two siblings, Richard Woodward of Cedar Rapids, IA and Janet May of Flagstaff, AZ; four grandchildren Vance and Olivia Betts, Lauren Hutsch and Alexis Swanson; and one great-grandson Wyatt Swanson. Nancy was predeceased by her parents, Robert and Elaine Woodward of Belleville, IL.   
Born April 18,1945 in Woodbury, NJ, Nancy was raised in Belleville, IL. Her late teens and early 20s brought her to various spots in the country before she and her sons settled into the scene in San Francisco in the 1960s.
After decades working as a decorated seamstress and costume designer in the San Francisco Theatre scene, she was lured to Blue Lake, CA in the mid '80s by the Dell' Arte Players Company for a quieter life and better schools. She lived just a block from the Gymkhana in Blue Lake where she rediscovered her love of horses. Her first horse Nugget lived on Jackson hill until she traded up for her "river house" off Rancheria Road. There she began acquiring several animals and found a new passion in the Alpaca breeding business. In 2008 she and her brood moved out to Oeschger Rd. outside of Ferndale where she spent her remaining years farming in a quiet valley with a peek-a-view of the Pacific Ocean.
A virtual celebration of her life is being planned and details will be available through CaringBridge: www.caringbridge.org/visit/nancywoodward
Throughout her life she was an accomplished reader, gardener and an amazing chef. Nancy truly excelled in everything she tried. Loved by so many, she will forever be dearly missed.