Obituary of Ethel Siebert Wood

Ethel (Siebert) Wood November 23, 1921 – August 22, 2020 Ethel was born November 23, 1921 in Corona, Queens, NY to Ethel (Armstrong) Siebert and Maximilian F. Siebert. Her sister Miriam was born two years later. She graduated High School at the age of sixteen. In 1943, Ethel joined the U.S. Navy as a WAVE. She was soon sent to Ford Island Naval Base in Hawaii, where she met her future husband (also in the Navy). She was honorably discharged in 1945, as Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class. Ethel married William Henry Wood, III on April 5, 1947 in Williston Park, NY. They moved to Milford in Bill’s home state of Connecticut, and had their first child, Donald in 1948, and their second, Susan in 1951. Ethel stayed home with them for many years. When they were older, she returned to work and became a medical librarian. She was an outstanding organizer and took great pride in her work. Ethel and Bill moved the family around as he got better jobs (tool & die maker), and to satisfy their urge to buy older houses to live in and improve. But they stayed in Connecticut until the 1970’s. The kids were grown, so they moved south, where they enjoyed hiking and camping in the Smoky Mountains. Upon retirement, they built a home in Front Royal, Virginia, on a mountain in the woods. They volunteered many hours together at Warren Memorial Hospital in Front Royal. After Bill’s death in 1991, Ethel renewed her interest in opera and attended many performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Her son Don moved into the house with her in 2012, and they cared for each other, enjoying each other and the beauty of their surroundings. At the tender age of 92, Ethel was injured in an auto accident, and Susan brought her to recover at home in Hugo, Colorado. But then a hip fracture and surgery curtailed her independence, and Ethel entered Lincoln Park Living Center in Hugo from March 2014 until December 2019. She felt very much at home there and enjoyed her cozy room. But then she broke her leg in late 2019, could not regain her independence, and so entered Lincoln Health Care Center in January 2020. She remained there until her death in August at the age of 98. Ethel was adventurous, playful, smart, strong, and above all loving and caring, and will be so very missed by all who knew her. She was joy, love, and strength all in one tiny package. Ethel was predeceased by her husband William H. Wood, and their son Donald W. Wood. She is survived by her sister Miriam Krum of Bonner Springs, KS; her daughter Susan Kelly (Leon) of Hugo, CO; two step-grandchildren Jamie (Masao) Doi of Sykesville, MD and Josh (Heather) Kelly of Peyton, CO; five great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews with their families, and countless friends. No services are planned at this time. Her ashes, as well as those of her beloved husband and son, will be interred in Evergreen Cemetery in Hugo, CO at a future date. As a lover of the great outdoors, and of great opera and classical music, donations to any organizations supporting those activities would be appreciated in lieu of flowers.