Johanna Elizabeth Woody

Johanna Elizabeth (Johnnie) Woody passed away on May 11, 2025 at home in Manassas, VA. She was born on March 23, 1951 in Kansas City, MO, the daughter of Boyd and Callie Simpson. On December 24, 1971 she married Ronnie Dean (Ron) Woody, a U.S. Army veteran and student at UMKC. Johnnie was a display artist at Hall’s Department Store at the time, and continued with artistic endeavors throughout much of her lifetime. Johnnie was preceded in death by her parents and by her sister Callie Ann Younger. She is survived by her sister Linda and husband Ed Grier, by her brother Tom Simpson and wife Lydia and by her husband Ron.

In the summer of 1975, Ron graduated from UMKC and the couple moved to Arlington, VA for Ron to begin a job with the U.S. Department of Labor. The following spring he was commissioned as a Foreign Service Officer and after several months of training was sent to Singapore for a two year assignment with the U.S. Embassy, the first of several overseas postings. While there Johnnie studied Chinese watercolor and Chinese cooking, and also explored Indian and Malay cuisine.

In the fall of 1978, Ron was assigned to the Bureau of Economic Affairs at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. The couple bought a townhouse in Dale City, VA where they lived until buying a home south of Manassas, VA in the spring of 1984. While in Virginia, Johnnie worked as a florist before joining an artists’ coop in Occoquan, VA. At the coop she furthered her studies of watercolor and taught stained glass classes. She sold her works in watercolor and stained glass in the coop gallery.

In the summer of 1984, Ron was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines. Their sojourn there included the 1986 EDSA Revolution that saw the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos after a fraudulent election. While a largely peaceful affair, several of the Woodys’ Filipino friends and neighbors participated in the demonstrations. From there, it was on to Paris and a job as Trade Advisor for Ron at the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. They were there in time to enjoy the bicentennial of the French Revolution in 1989, after having experienced our own bicentennial in Washington D.C. In the spring of 1990, Johnnie’s watercolors were well received at the Embassy Art Show. Their final overseas assignment was to Wellington, New Zealand. In the fall of 1992, Johnnie received a highly congratulatory letter from the U.S. Ambassador for her leading role in the success of the U.S. Embassy booth at the UNICEF Bazaar.

In August 1993, Johnnie once again was back in her peaceful pocket of Virginia forest, where she remained until her passing. She loved the towering trees, birds and wildlife on the property. Johnnie added to the natural beauty by planting flowers and flowering bushes, including some she brought from her mother’s garden. Ron had a few more domestic assignments for the State Department before retiring, and they often travelled to Missouri in the summers for visits with family and friends. This is her final homecoming.

Visitation will be held at Newcomer’s Floral Hills Funeral Home, 6700 Blue Ridge Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64133 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am on May 30, followed by a Celebration of Life at Floral Hills East Memorial Gardens at 25203 E US Highway 50, Lee’s Summit, MO 64086 from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. Dress for both events will be casual. The family requests donations to UNICEF USA https://www.unicefusa.org/how-help/donate in lieu of flowers.