Our beloved Alma Wood, longtime and active Friend and Member of the Monterey Peninsula Friends Meeting for 40+ years of her life, died on December 14, 2020 following a fall.
Live in such a way that given an opportunity to live your life all over again, you would choose to live it the same way …. Ecclesiastes
Alma lived her life beautifully. We weep, not for her 99 rich years of life, but for our loss. Alma filled us with love, humor, and kindness. We hope we absorb these qualities and share them with others.
Alma was born in Lindsay, CA. the youngest child and only daughter of Reuben and Myrtle Ward.
Her life adventures are extensive. She became a Quaker after nursing soldiers during World War II, having witnessed the suffering, futility and destruction caused by war. She lived on the East and West Coasts, raised three children, Susan, John and Nancy, and continued her nursing career locally and abroad. In Monterey County she administered vaccine programs and provided AIDS education. As an active member of Monterey Peninsula Friends Meeting, she served on Ministry and Counsel and Clearness Committees. She supported the Peace Center and participated in Quaker Meeting at the Soledad prison. She loved other places and cultures as well and traveled as much as possible, often volunteering through much of the world.
Alma embodied the Quaker values expressed in the Testimonies: Equality and Justice; Peace; Truth and Integrity; Simplicity and Sustainability. She let her life speak. For each of us who knew her, she modeled Truth and Integrity. She was not a Pollyanna, but she saw the best (that of God) in everyone.
Spending time with Alma enriched our lives. She managed to share gracefully her full life of giving, learning, adventure, and exploring. If we can embody the love of others, the enthusiasm for life’s simple gifts, the curiosity to keep learning, and caring for and helping others, her gifts will endure through us.