of Brevort Township, MI, formerly of Monroe, age 73, died peacefully at the cabin she loved in the U.P. with her family surrounding her on July 15, 2019. She was born in Havana, Cuba on December 24, 1945 to Evaristo and Maria Teresa (Garcia) Rodriguez.  She and her family moved to Detroit, MI in 1951 where she graduated from Holy Redeemer High School in 1963 and then from the University of Michigan in 1967.  She taught Biology at Airport High School for more than 30 years.  She was a life-long learner and loved everything about nature especially plants, frogs, and birds.  She loved the cabin that she built with her husband and was grateful to spend her last month there surrounded by many family and friends, hummingbirds and loons.  

She is preceded in death by her husband and best friend, Anderson “Jumbo” Woodruff, her parents, and her brother, Evaristo Rodriguez.  She is survived by her 5 children and their spouses, Debra (Francis) Gregory, James (Carol) Woodruff, Katie (Ryan) Beekman, Thomas (Kate) Woodruff, and Glenn (Lori) Woodruff; eight grandchildren, Paul, Thomas and Maria Gregory, Hannah Woodruff, Zoe, Oliver and Henry Beekman and Anderson Woodruff; her sister Giselle Rodriguez; sister-in-law Margaret Rodriguez and nieces and nephews Ben Vasquez, Russell and Penny Woodruff, Evy and Matthew Rodriquez, Mary Rodriguez Rivera and Chris and Nick Hertler and Megan Carrier.  

To her many friends and family she would say: May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back.  May the sun warm upon your face; the rains fall upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.

The Funeral Mass will be held Monday, July 22, 10:00 am at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Ann Arbor, with visitation from 9-10 am. The family will receive friends at Cole Funeral Chapel in Chelsea on Sunday from 3-7 pm, with a Vigil Service at 6:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Hospice of the Straits, Cheboygan, MI that supports families in the Upper Peninsula.

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