Elaine V. Woodall

Elaine V. Woodall, born Claire Elaine Vavrinek on September 29, 1926, passed away on Thursday, May 29, 2025, in York, PA in her 99th year. Born in Chicago, IL and married in Des Plaines, IL, Elaine has lived in many places: Illinois, Texas, Colorado, Newfoundland (Canada), Alabama, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, with visits to Russia, France, Spain, and Morocco.

Elaine led an interesting and impactful life. Elaine was a physics major at Coe College, graduating in 1948. Early in her career, toward the end of World War II, she worked on the electron microscope at Argonne National Laboratory. In the summer of 1950, she was part of a group that received funding from the Chicago Council of Youth Hostels to take a bike tour as part of an international effort post-World War II to support youth travel as a way of encouraging interaction, understanding, and to avoid future conflict.

Elaine had remarkable skills and interests. She was a semi-professional marionettist, making her own marionettes and doing her own variety shows – The MissElaineous Dancing Marionettes. Amongst her many marionettes were a Skeleton (who danced to the music of "Dry Bones"); Spot the Dog; an Ice Skater; a Litterbug (a multi-armed bug); Stretch the Clown; Fall leaves; Baba Yaga. She was a college math teacher and tutor, an avid churchgoer, and helped maintain and harvest massive, fruitful gardens created by her husband, Merle Woodall (d. 2006). Elaine was a language enthusiast and loved to read. Besides her native English, she also spoke French, and some Spanish and Russian. She never stopped learning new things. One of her favorite sayings was, “I’ve forgotten more things than you ever knew!”

Elaine was preceded in death by her parents “Roy” Vavrinek (LeRoy Sr.) (1958) and Dorothy Anderson Vavrinek Hopp (1990), her husband Lt. Col. Merle Powell Woodall (2006), her daughters Diana Gail Woodall (2024) and Amy Claire Woodall (1973), her step-daughter Joei (Nancy Jo) Woodall Hendricks (2021) and her sister Mary Louise Vavrinek Shakespeare (2025).

She was a beloved sister, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Elaine is survived by brother “Lee” LeRoy Vavrinek Jr., daughter Marie Patureau, son Lawrence Woodall, one sister-in-law, one son-in-law, two daughters-in-law, as well as seven grand-children and eight great grand-children.

The family is especially grateful to Marcia Woodall (daughter-in-law) and Valerie Woodall (granddaughter) who were by her side during these last weeks and months, along with other family members.

A memorial service and the scattering of her ashes will take place at the end of June in St. Germain-en-Laye, France, where she loved to visit.

Heffner Funeral Chapel & Crematory, Inc., 1551 Kenneth Rd. in York is assisting the family with the arrangements. Send condolences at HeffnerCare.com