Vern Andrews Woodlief was born September 10, 1936 in Gainesville, FL. She was adopted as an infant by Dr. Edwin and Mrs. Ellen Andrews. Raised in Gainesville, she went to high school there, loved horses, learned to fish, shoot and hunt, and raised about as much Cain as any typical adolescent did in the early 1950s. Vern attended Lake Erie College in Painesville, OH, where she graduated in 1958. One of her early passions was amateur race car driving; she once drove her Alfa Romeo Spider at Watkins Glen Raceway in upstate New York.

Vern began her professional career in advertising and public relations in Norfolk, VA. There, she met and married Wayne Woodlief. The couple had two children, Mark and Rawn, before they moved to Alexandria, VA. Vern continued her work in public relations with the American Nursing Home Association and with United Jewish Appeal. When the family relocated to Boston, MA, Vern worked for the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Hospital (now Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital). In the 1980s, Vern transitioned into fundraising as development director at the Lake Erie Girl Scouts in Cleveland, OH. Later, she continued in that capacity at the Inland Empire Girl Scouts in Colton, CA. In the early 1990s, Vern began attending Fuller Theological Seminary and on November 1, 1995 she was ordained as an Episcopalian Deacon. She spent 15 years as a hospice chaplain in Southern California as well as a Deacon in the diocese of Los Angeles. In 2005, she moved to Green Valley and served as a Deacon at, and on the administrative staff of, St. Francis-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church. She led a Stephen Ministries program at the church.

Vern loved adventure, needlework, cooking, labyrinths, Siamese and Abyssinian cats, gardening, and a good, "very dry" vodka Martini with three olives. She conducted occasional weekend retreats on stitching and spirituality at Mount Calvary retreat center in Santa Barbara, CA. Most importantly, she found a way to bring a spirituality and love of God to all the things and all the people she encountered.

Vern is survived by her son, Mark; daughter, Rawn; son-in-law Bernard; and four grandchildren Renze, Hope, Joshua, and Jessica.

Service will be held at St. Francis-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church at 11:00 a.m. Monday, January 30.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to:

The Music Fund of St. Francis-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church

Stephen Ministries www.stephenministries.org