Barbara Woock

Barbara Woock

11/23/1921 — 12/28/2017

Our Mother, Barbara Woock, was a very special woman, and loved by all. This incredible life started on November 23, 1921 in Centralia, Washington. Her mother was (Bobbie) Nettie Iva Chappell, born in 1900. Her father was Howard Ellsworth Crane, born in 1896. They married in 1921. Her mother got the nick-name Bobbie when she cut her hair into a bob in high school, and was forever called Bobbie.

Barbara lived in Seattle, Washington with her parents in a new house in the “U-District” (University of Washington district). She started 1st grade, got the mumps, was very sick and fell behind in school. During that time her father owned several cars. She was really proud of that. He had a Pierce-Arrow and a Duesenberg.

They moved to Mount Vernon to live on the ranch that her grandparents owned. The ranch house was huge, situated on 86 acres. Later the Junior College was built on that sight. They moved into the farm house. It was a large 1 bedroom house. They added a bathroom in the house because it didn’t have one. They were the first to have electricity in the house. When she was 5 years old, her sister, Helene Crane (Foster) was born. When she was 8 years old her father passed away at the age of 33.

They continued to live on the ranch, both girls got Scarlet fever and missed a lot of school. Her grandmother Crane and a nurse took care of them. Grandma Crane wouldn’t let their mother (Bobbie) see them, she could only stand in the driveway, and talk to them through the window.

When Barbara was 13 her grandfather Crane died. Her grandparents were very wealthy. They grew oats. One day grandfather went out into the field, got a thorn in his hand that got infected. He went to the hospital and died from blood poisoning.

Due to the Depression, her mother Bobbie worked many jobs, and had a very difficult time. Both Barbara and Helene were sent to different places to live, Barbara to the Missionary Sister of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic girls school. She was 13, and the girls slept in metal beds, all in one room. She hated it. She would hide from the nuns because they hit the girls with switches. She complained to her mother so much that she got to move into her grandmother Crane’s house.

Barbara would complain to her grandmother that she wanted to go into town to see Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies. She complained so much until Grandma took her. Barbara loved to dance. She really admired Fred and Ginger! She lived at grandma’s for 6 or 7 months until she got to move home with her mother. There was a little house built behind her mothers tavern, “Bobbies Inn”, where she shared a bedroom with her sister.

Barbara went to Mount Vernon High School where she was a huge flirt! She had boyfriends from all over, not just Mount Vernon. She loved to dance, and went to all the dances around the area. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday night she would have Joe Fredericks, her mother’s boyfriend and eventual husband, drive her to all the dances. She had many boyfriends, and one in particular was Bud GeRoy. When she graduated from high school in 1941 Bud’s mother visited her mother, and said “…now that Bud and Barbara have graduated from high school, why don’t they get married!” Her mother said “NO! Not just no but HELL NO!!”

After high school she moved to her cousin’s house in Seattle. She would take the bus downtown where she worked at Woolworths. She was also working at the telephone company as a long distance telephone operator. Her shifts were 10AM to 2PM and then she would work the other job from 7PM to 11PM. While she was a long distance operator, she would eavesdrop on Lana Turner as she was having a conversation with her boyfriend, actor Joseph Stephen “Steve” Crane. (No relation to Barbara’s family.)

The only time she ate was when she was at work: She would go down to the cafeteria and charge her food, and they would take the money out of her check. All the rest of the money went to shoes and expensive clothes, designer clothes. At first she shopped at Grayson’s (a cheap department store) and then she found Frederick and Nelson, which was the best department store in Seattle. They had beautiful clothing and she would buy only the best. She bought herself a mink coat. From the earliest days, Barbara was very style conscious and well put together.

She and her friend Jean lived in an apartment building between Pike and Pine on Boren Avenue. She had a party line, and one day Jean picked up the phone and asked “…who is this?” The response was “Your long lost brother!” Jean thought it might be her brother. They continued to talk and found out that they lived in the same apartment building, and his name was Bob Woock! Jean went out with Bob, and he brought his roommate to go out with Barbara. Jean got mad at Barbara and said “You always get the best guys” so they traded guys! That started the romance of our parents.

Bob joined the Navy and was sent to Helena, Montana for flight training. When he went into the service Barbara moved to Los Angeles. She and her roommate Jean took the train down, and rented a room in the Mayfair Hotel. They dated other Air Force Pilots, but she really liked Bob. They would write letters to each other, and she saved every letter he ever wrote to her. (He didn’t save her letters though….). At some point, she moved back to Mount Vernon, Washington and helped her mother out at Bobbies Inn.

During WW II, Bob was transferred to Corpus Christi Texas. She talked him into letting her come down there, to get a job, and see him at the base. Bob was a fun loving guy, with strong morals, and he said OK, come down and we will get married! She bought all new clothes, and ended up getting married in a pale green silk suit. She took the train to Texas, it took 5 days. She had to take a bus from San Antonio to Corpus because the train didn’t go that far. Bob graduated from flight school the morning of April 29, 1944 and they were married that afternoon at the Driscoll Hotel. All of Bob’s buddies stayed in the bar drinking that night, and would call the room every 15 minutes!

Bob was a Navy pilot. He was stationed on the USS Macon Island, an aircraft carrier. They moved to Florida for several months, then, when he shipped out to the Pacific she moved back to Seattle until the war was over.

After the war, they stayed in Seattle and he started selling real estate. They bought a brand new house the U-district and had their first child, Renee Leslie Woock (Hawk) on September 10, 1947. Barbara loved decorating her home, putting wall paper up. She had learned to sew in high school, and became a great seamstress. She sewed curtains and pillows and anything she could to create a beautiful home. Soon they sold that home, and moved into another new home in the U-District. She decorated that home and had her second child, Sheila Jo Woock (Belland). When Sheila was about 2 she put the girls outside in her snow-filled fenced yard, in snowsuits, so she could remove some wallpaper. Suddenly Sheila was knocking on the door because she had wet her snowsuit and taken it off. Barbara never let Sheila forget that story!

When the Korean War broke out, Bob was in the Naval Reserves, so he was called back to duty. They sold their home, and moved back to Corpus Christi, Texas. He taught young men how to be pilots and they lived on the base. He ran the Officers Club and had great cocktail parties. Everyplace they went they became friends with people who remained life long friends.

Once the war was over Bob started selling life insurance, and Barbara learned how to drive and got her first drivers license. While in Texas, they had their last child, a boy, Paul Gregory Woock. When Paul was 4 months old they loaded up their car with the kids and dog, a boxer named Padre Island Pete, and drove to Tustin, California. They lived in Tustin for many years, all of their children graduated from Tustin Schools, Renee from Tustin High School, and Sheila and Paul graduated from Foothill High School.

Bob was very successful in the insurance business becoming Vice President in charge of 11 western states. Barbara became involved with helping others. She joined Assistance League, where she was the Chairwoman for the Camellia Ball. They were a beautiful couple, they built their own custom home on Sandwood Lane in Tustin, they helped found St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Tustin. They would go on trips to Las Vegas, the Bahama Islands, and to insurance conventions all over the United States and Canada. They had a large Motorhome that they used to take trips all over the Southwest. The family took regular trips to Catalina every year, to Mexico, to Europe, to Seattle and San Francisco. Barbara would arrange these trips and the whole family would enjoy them.

After their children all graduated from high school and went on to college, they decided to move to LaQuinta, in the Palm Desert area. There both Bob and Barbara became involved in Children’s Home Society. She organized Operation School Bell, where they would provide clothing for underprivileged children. Bob had been an art major in college, and he drew Disney characters all over the walls of the facility, making it a fun place for children to visit and get their school supplies and clothing. Barbara used her connections in the Los Angeles garment district to buy cases of new shoes and shirts for the children.

They had an apartment in Laguna Beach, and would travel back and forth for years. Bob became sick and passed away on November 25, 2002. Barbara continued to drive between LaQuinta and Laguna Beach for years. She moved to Laguna Beach permanently in 2014. She decorated her apartment with lots of art, with cobalt blue walls, white trim, rusty-orange countertops with beautiful wooden furniture. All with a definite dramatic flair! She lived independently there, with Sheila next door for many years, and eventually Paul moved to Laguna to live near her.

One day on her own she decided that she should no longer drive and called Paul to re-park her car. For the past 11 years Paul has had dinner with her nightly, taken her to all her doctor appointments, and watched out for her. She lived by herself, with both Sheila and Renee visiting her often. She was not sick, she lived a very active life. Paul had her working with a personal trainer, working out 3 days a week. She would walk down with Paul’s daughter Sydney to get their nails done at a local shop in Laguna.

We were all very lucky to have her for 96 years, living independently, being a strong vibrant woman, a woman we are all proud to call mom! Everyone who knew her loved her. Mom enjoyed life and loved to reminisce and to talk about her children, her Grandchildren and her Great Grandchildren.

Bon Voyage Mom, Mama, Barbara you are in a better place than we are. Enjoy your eternal life with Dad, your family, your friends and your pets.