Former U-46 English teacher dies

Teaching wasn't just a 40-hour a week job for Laurie Ann Woodward.

"Teaching was her life," said Larsen Middle School colleague Kathy Bennecke.

Woodward of Elgin died Thursday. She was 79.

Born in Chicago to Lyman and Lucille Ernst, Woodward attended the University of Illinois at Chicago and worked as a team leader at the Elgin State Hospital.

After marrying Michael Woodward, she joined the staff of Elgin Area School District U-46's Larsen Middle School as an eighth-grade English teacher in 1981.

Bennecke, who teaches seventh-grade English, remembers Woodward as an "outstanding teacher" always concerned about students who were underachievers.

"She was always looking for new methods to help them reach grade level," Bennecke said. "She created a very relaxed environment for her students."

A longtime Elgin resident, Woodward would often encounter students at the grocery store, at church or at the library. "She loved being able to keep in touch with her former students by being in the neighborhood," Bennecke said.

After 23 years of service, Woodward retired from Larsen in 2003.

She is survived by her husband, her daughter Tracy Woodward and sister Marcie Ricker.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Wait Ross Allanson Funeral and Cremation Services Chapel, 51 Center St., Elgin.

A funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 357 Fulton St., Elgin. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center.