Wynelle W Ortega

Wynelle Woodcock Ortega was born to Nettie and Rufus Woodcock on September 22, 1932, in Glennville, GA. At that time, they lived on a small farm where her father was a share-cropper. She grew up in that house out in the country. When she graduated from high school, she decided to move in with her older sister and aunt in Savannah. There she attended Drohnes Business College. She completed that training and took a job at Trailways Bus Company.

She met Richard Ortega, a handsome Cuban American soldier in the shallow waves of Tybee Beach. They fell in love and married in Savannah in January of 1951. Soon after their wedding, she began to travel the world with her soldier husband. They had four children: Naida, Ithie, Eric and Rachel in the next 10 years. Every 2-3 years they would pack up their belongings in ‘base housing’ and move to wherever the Air Force transferred Richard.

Richard retired from the Air Force and moved the family to Winter Park, Florida in June of 1970.

Wynelle made their new home a haven for not only her four children but the friends of their children. She worked briefly as a ‘lunch lady’ (not cooking or serving food, but on the financial side of things), but mostly she volunteered with her church (Winter Park Christian) and Meals on Wheels. When Naida became a teacher, she volunteered in her classrooms in the schools where she taught. She enjoyed gardening and sewing and spending time with friends and family.

When she became a grandma, she helped care for her grandchildren whenever she was needed. Sadly their son, Eric, became ill with cancer. Wynelle and Richard made several trips to Puerto Rico (where he lived) to help care for him near the end of his life.

As her health deteriorated and they needed more assistance, she and Richard moved to Assisted Living in Lake Nona where Richard passed in September 2024, and where she passed peacefully into the arms of her Savior on March 5, 2026.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her two sisters and brothers-in-law, Betty (Jurell) Davis and Bobbie (Ed) Floyd. Wynelle is survived by her three daughters, Naida Hardy, Ithie (Steve) Jackson, Rachel (Mark) Bateman. She is also survived by 6 grandchildren, Matthew (Angela) Hardy, Erika (Matthew) Stucky, Beth Moya, Shelby Link, Mark (Megan) Bateman, Jr. and John Bateman. And she is survived by 8 great-grandchildren, Nolan, Karissa, Emelia, Paxton, Leah, Max, Emmett and Nathaniel.