Obituary of Grace Woody

Grace Alice Friedner Woody, best known as GG, born December 7, 1930, lived a long life full of adventures from childhood until her death on Sunday, September 17, 2023.  Surrounded by family and friends, she passed peacefully into her eternal home where her brother “Buck”, her nieces Sandra and Donna Gale, her nephew Gary and her beloved friends Christine, Ivoline, and Una reunited and rejoiced with her once again as she arrived at the pearly gates of Heaven.

In her almost 93 years of life Grace touched so many lives.  She loved her Connie Maxwell Childrens’ Home family.  She was eternally grateful for their guidance, nurturing, and care throughout her life.  She served on the Alumni Board and various Committees for more than thirty years.

Grace loved her Oakwood Baptist Church family-where she was a charter member.  She was proud to say she helped build the church from the ground up and she has the pictures to prove it.  As long as she was able, if the doors were open, she was at the church.  She and Grady Parker tried to out prank each other every chance they could.  She would love to serve her specialty cake one more time.

Grace loved her good buddy, Leon Lott #10, and especially her beloved “boss,” Leigh J. Leventis, like he was her own son.  She worked for Leigh for 39 years after working in the medical field for 40 years as a medical transcriptionist.  She could spell any medical terminology; and if not, she had a medical dictionary the size of Texas to help her.  She could type faster than anyone and thank goodness she knew shorthand in this world of technology.  She worked for the VA Hospital, Lexington Medical Center, and Richland Memorial Hospital.  Also, she worked in the medical office of Dr. Mandanis alongside of her life-long friend Beverly Corbett.

Grace’s greatest pride and joy was in her children: her sons, MSgt. James Maurice (Mike) Woody, United States Air Force (RET) and his wife Judy of Milford, Delaware; LtCol. Phillip Wayne Woody, United States Marine Corps (RET) and his wife Angela of Charleston, SC; her daughters, Sharon E. McCain of Leesville, SC and Carol A. Richardson of Lexington, SC.  She loved and adored her five grandchildren: Cameron Woody (Mariah), Trey McCain, Michael-Chase McCain (Brianna), Will Richardson, and her most favorite grand-daughter Anna-Marie Richardson.  She was caught boasting quite often about her most beautiful great-grand children Logan Woody and Blaine Richardson with the hope of future great-grandbabies.  Grace will be missed by her loving brothers Mike Friedner, Jerry Friedner and his wife Sylvia, and her sister, Nancy Tyner, “the beautiful one,” and numerous nieces and nephews.

If you knew Grace, you knew her two other loves:  Giraffes and Hawaii-which she visited nine times.  The celebration of her life will be held at Thompson’s Funeral Home Chapel of Lexington, SC on October 1, 2023.  The service will be at 3:00pm with visitation two hours prior to the service.  It is requested that visitors dress in Hawaiian clothing in honor of her love of Hawaii.  She will make one last trip to Hawaii with her family at her request to have her ashes spread over Waimea Canyon.

Grace requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Connie Maxwell Childrens’ Home to further their mission.

The family wishes to thank Pathway Hospice, Nurses Mandy, Maighan, Social Worker Natalie, and Nancy Faglie for their loving care of their precious mother over the last year and half as she waited to journey to her eternal home in Glory.  We shall see you again soon, and very soon.  Jesus loves you this I know.