NEW HARMONY — Family, friends and fellow public servants from New Harmony and Iron County Fire Departments gathered Saturday afternoon at the New Harmony Ward LDS chapel, 12 S. Main St., to pay tribute to and share memories of former New Harmony Fire Captain, Iron County Ambulance EMT and Washington County Emergency Preparedness team member Julie Marie Woods, who passed away from brain cancer June 13.
A viewing took place followed by funeral services. A guard of honor lined the hallway of the church, paying tribute to Woods as her casket was moved from the viewing room to the chapel. Every seat was occupied at the services, to the extent that numerous children were sitting on the laps of family members.
These were a few of the many memories shared during the service:
Son Jesse Woods said:
My mom started EMT services after her second-born son got run over by a car. He’s all right now … Afterward, she wanted to do something to give back so she joined the Moapa EMT in 1988 shortly before Coulton was born. She always put everyone before herself and never complained that she had cancer.
Son Coulton Woods said:
I remember when I was 8 or 10 years old I came home from school. She was out helping at the Clark County Fair. I remember the third night, I was thinking about my mom — how I couldn’t imagine ever not having her around. I’m a momma’s boy.
Sister-in-law Janet Woods Spendlove said:
She never said anything bad about anyone. She was always smiling. She was such an example of compassion and service. It was more important to Julie to do stuff with her kids. They would just take off go camping and four-wheeling.
Recalling a time when Julie was working for IBM and the system malfunctioned, Kenneth Brown said with a laugh:
Everything shut down and people attempted to fix the system … They tried everything to fix it, and Julie said, ‘Here, let me try this.’ So she unplugged a cord, plugged it back in and everything turned back on. She was the best sister ever.
Avonell Woods, mother-in-law, said:
Julie and I were more like girlfriends than mother and daughter-in-law. We would oil paint together a lot. I learned Christlike love from her. I was at her house and was trying to take care of her and she was baking bread for other people. She gave all the bread away to the nurses and everybody else who came by and saw her. The whole town loved her.
New Harmony Fire Dept. Chief Greg Gonzalez said:
I remember the Mill Flat Fire that occurred four years ago, and I happened to be at work and Julie was at incident command at first. I walked in and the look on her face was terrified and glad at the same time. We gave each other a big hug. We leaned on each other and got through.
Following the funeral services, a firetruck and a vehicle carrying the casket led a procession to the New Harmony Cemetery, where Woods was interred.
At the graveside service, New Harmony firefighters performed a flag ceremony, and the last call for Julie Woods was received via the police radio. Bouquets of dyed-green carnations were placed by family members and friends on Julie’s casket, which was what her father used to give her because her birthday fell on St. Patrick’s Day, her favorite color was green and she loved carnations.
Online condolences can be sent to the Woods family at sumortuary.com.
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