Cover photo for Marion Elizabeth Sanders Woodham's Obituary
1919 Marion 2020

Marion Elizabeth Sanders Woodham

November 6, 1919 — July 28, 2020

Marion Elizabeth Sanders Woodham died in Albuquerque on Tuesday, July 28, 2020 from severe injuries sustained in a fall. A resident of Albuquerque since 1952, Marion was born in Portland, Oregon on Thursday, November 6, 1919. She attended Washington High School in Portland, received a BA degree from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, and did graduate work at the University of Minnesota. She taught high school English and Journalism in Grants Pass, Oregon and Woodland, California. In June of 1946 she married Ray Woodham in Woodland, and moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where Ray earned a degree from the University of Alabama and Marion taught Business English courses at the university. After receiving a master’s degree in Hospital Administration at the University of Minnesota, Ray worked at Baylor Hospital in Dallas, Texas, while Marion worked for Frito Sales Company. In 1952, Ray became CEO of Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, a position he held for about 25 years. Marion was a member of the Presbyterian Hospital Auxiliary and the Central Methodist Church. She was a member of the AAUW painting group, and enjoyed taking courses in oil painting, drawing, and art history. Later, she took courses in photography and was an active member of the Enchanted Lens Camera Club. During her extensive travels with Ray, Marion took pictures which she organized into slide shows, giving travelogues to anyone who would watch. She enjoyed playing bridge and Scrabble and solving word puzzles. As a member of the Zia Elementary School PTA while her children were enrolled there, she helped start the school library. During the 1970s, Marion wrote the first comprehensive history of Presbyterian Hospital. In connection with her research, she started the organization of the hospital’s archives.



Marion was preceded in death by her parents, Fred Robinson Sanders and Bessie Ellen Smith Sanders; her husband of 63 years, Preston Ray Woodham; her sisters, Harriet Ellen Burdette Bird, and Winifred Jean Sanders Morton; her brother, Fred Richard Sanders; her brother-in-law, Robert Eugene Morton; her niece, Marcia Ellen Burdette; and her nephew, Steven Ray Morton.



She is survived by daughter, Janet Claire Woodham England and husband David; son, Carl Edwin Woodham and wife Judy, and Carl and Judy’s children, KC Cole (wife Hera, daughter Adara and son Kieran), Laxmi Debbie Woodham, and Rasa Leela Woodham Czenstochouski (husband Omar); and one great-grandchild, Ava Rose.



Marion is also survived by nephew, Mark Robert Morton; Steve’s wife, Linda Morton; and nephews Larry Burdette and Ken Burdette (wife Julie), and their children and grandchildren.



Services are not being planned at this time. Marion was a gracious and fun-loving person, and she enjoyed spending time with her friends and family. Please reflect upon positive personal remembrances.



Friends wishing to make a donation in her memory may contribute to Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation, PO Box 26666, Albuquerque, NM 87125-6666, or to a charitable organization which helps the hungry and needy.

To send flowers to the family in memory of Marion Elizabeth Sanders Woodham, please visit our flower store.

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