Ann Hilliard WoodFebruary 9, 1931 - May 7, 2019In expressing her last wishes, with unsentimental clarity Ann Hilliard Wood said she had lived a wonderful life and wanted to 'slip away' with comfort care versus undergo surgery for a heart condition and leg fracture. This unequivocal resoluteness was characteristic of Ann and was valued and accepted by all who knew and loved her.
Intelligent, adventurous, generous, and full of fun, Ann's strongest traits predisposed her to fall in love with an 'American in Montreal' and move with him to California, and thrive. Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Ann obtained her RN degree at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. This is where her lifelong love affair with Ray M. Wood, a medical student at McGill University, began, and lasted over 50 years while he was alive, and 12 years since.
Ann and Ray spent their early years of marriage first in the Presidio, San Francisco, and then in Landstuhl, Germany where Ray was an officer in the Army. When they returned to the states, they settled in Palo Alto for 5 years, and then permanently in Los Altos.
As a young married couple living in Germany post WWII, they cultivated a joy of travel and embraced everything new and different. Over the next 5 decades, they grew and evolved together and came to appreciate the importance of other cultures and of meeting new people.
Ann found living in the United States, California in particular, exhilarating and liberating. Wildly different and beautiful landscapes, temperate weather, broadminded thinkers, even things as simple as readily-available fresh fruits and vegetables, brought her joy and she took it all in and flourished. She made everything look easy, from having four children in five years, to finding time to volunteer for unwed mothers, grocery shop for the housebound, return to nursing at Stanford Hospital, and host large dinner parties and family gatherings. Whether on a day trip to San Francisco or a longer intercontinental journey, she outpaced and outlasted everyone – not because she was competitive, but because she was energized by different cultures, history, art, music, dance, and perhaps above all, new cuisines. While others napped, she read, and always had two 'active': a 'downstairs book' (usually a mystery) and an 'upstairs book' (often non-fiction and less frightening before bedtime!). If not reading, Ann was corresponding; she never missed sending a thank you note, a birthday card or a warm letter acknowledging an achievement or a setback.
Everyone who knew Ann could attest to her practical, no-nonsense sensibility, her ability to forge ahead in the face of adversity, and her no whining comportment. Her direct and unpretentious manner was valued by family and friends, and left no one wondering where she stood. She had an unwavering sense of integrity, and lived by the golden rule without ever saying it.
In raising her daughters, Ann ran a tight ship. She knew how to draw the line between friendship and parenting, and was a true believer in natural consequences. Only after her daughters became young adults did the line dissolve and their individual friendships with her grew and persisted throughout Ann's life.
As Ann's grown daughters, we marveled at her ability to do many things at once with ease and grace. We marveled at her unflappability while contending with four teenage daughters under one roof, and later, nine grandchildren running throughout the house. And we marveled at her welcoming acceptance of everyone who crossed her path.
To say we were surprised then, when she could not rebound, would not forge ahead, after Ray's death, is not a stretch. But we also knew he was the very center of her world, her heart and soul, and her place of comfort and joy. That she did not have the desire or the will to move past the loss was a sadness for us all, but also led to a deeper understanding of her.
Ann was loved and is survived by her four daughters and their husbands, Erin and Peter Dolinger, Christine and Bill Haynes, Cynthia Wood and Damien Rigby, and Susan Wood and Greg Hing; her nine grandchildren, Abraham (Erika), Samuel (Esha), Hannah and Abigail Dolinger, Katherine (Matt) and Susan Haynes, Gabby Rigby, and Sarah and Melanie Smith; her great-granddaughter, Aya Harada Dolinger; and her niece Ann Godkin (Dave) and nephew John (Cathy) Godkin. She was predeceased by her parents Harriet and Robert Hilliard, and sister and brother-in-law, Mary and Jack Godkin.
Her daughters will remember Ann's love of them and their families. Her grandchildren will remember her unabashed love, pride and joy in each of them. Her legacy is one of love and acceptance.
Contributions in Ann's memory may be made to Global Fund for Women or Planned Parenthood. Per Ann's request, there will be no memorial service.