Obituary of Barbara W. Proft

Barbara Woodbury “Woodie” Proft, 93, of Elim Park Place in Cheshire, CT, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, December 26, with family at her side.  She was the loving wife of the late William M. Proft, Jr., and was born on August 28, 1924 in Newburgh, NY, daughter of the late Raymond and Marion (Bailey) Woodbury.  She is the beloved mother of Mark (spouse, Ginny) of West Hartford, CT, Peter (Lin) of Singapore, Matt (Joy) of Pawlet, VT, Stephen (Joan) of Mesa, AZ, aunt to Laura Loney (Elwyn) of Tonasket, WA, and grandmother to Bailey, Conor, Noriana, Adam, Silas, Uriell, Eben, Luen, Anders, Ashley, Shelby, and April.

Woodie was an adventurous spirit, a trait she shared with her beloved Billy, and handed down to her sons and grandchildren.  At the age of 20, she moved to Hollywood to work as a secretary at Lockheed Aircraft during the war, but really because she had a love affair with the movies. After the war, she returned to Connecticut and was an executive secretary for Southern New England Telephone. Woodie and Bill married in 1956, settling in Florham Park, NJ where she raised her boys, and returned to work as Executive Assistant to the Chief of Police, retiring in 1987.  Woodie and Bill moved to Green Valley, AZ in 1995 for 16 “wonderful years” as she called them, returning to Connecticut in 2011 to be nearer family, and settling at Elim Park.  Special gratitude to the many compassionate caregivers, especially Helena, Janine, Doris, and Jessica. 

A memorial service celebrating her life will be held on January 3^rd at 11:00am, in St. John’s Episcopal Church, West Hartford.  Memorial contributions may be made to The Elim Park Benevolent Fund.  The Alderson-Ford Funeral Home of Cheshire is providing care. www.fordfh.com