Katherine Griffin Lipford Woodruff, 46 years, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, March 16, 2024 in Stuart, Florida.
If Kate had known about this, she would have written her own obituary. She would have started it something like…. Kate "the Great" Griffin Lipford Woodruff will no longer be able to share her infinite wisdom with all of you. But she leaves you with this….A funny meme or stock photo of a celebrity can express 1000 words in a one-liner…it's all in the art, and it should make you laugh out loud. To know Kate was to love her, she was irresistible. Her wit, kindness, brilliance, and whole soul beauty were undeniably attractive, particularly through her big dark eyes that called you to her. She and her husband, Tom shared their first kiss over 30 years ago, even attending a Winterfest dance together. God ultimately decided to send them on different paths but kept that spark burning. Kate went on to graduate from the University of Michigan and became a special needs teacher. She traveled the world with her siblings, scuba diving some of the world's incredible reefs as a dive instructor and learning broken Spanish. She spent time in California and New York before settling in Southern Florida. With a bit of help from Ryan, Kate's beloved double cousin (2 sisters married 2 brothers, it's totally legal), who also happened to be Tom's best friend, they found each other 30 years after that Winterfest date. After one movie night, Tom would never leave her side again. She called him the love of her life and the best thing that ever happened to her, ditto for Tom. He would ask her one question every day: "did I tell you I love you today?" Surrounded by their family and friends, they rang in 2019 to Kate's vision of a wedding through Alice's looking glass. The evening was magical and joyous, a pure reflection of their true love for each other. Kate bravely struggled with her health through much of her adult life but still always found joy, laughter, and ways to help others, building lasting friendships along the way. She loved playing with her nephews and nieces and relished her time making crazy crafts and finding ways to help the kids drive their parents crazy. She was always up for time with her Mom and Dad, bringing her quirky sense of humor to their old-school vibe and sharing in their strong faith in God. Kate was so very loved and will be terribly missed by the love of her life, Tom, Kazoo her pup child, her mother Marcia, father Rocque, sisters Lisa (Bob) Garypie and Jen (Dan) Lipford, brother Rocque (Anne) Lipford; sisters in law Debra
(Francis) Gregory, Katie (Ryan) Beekman and brothers in law Glenn (Lori) Woodruff and, James (Carol) Woodruff; 14 nieces and nephews, Jordan and Griffin Garypie, Frannie and Katie Harbold, Rocque III and Alton Lipford, Paul, Thomas and Maria Gregory, Zoe, Oliver and Henry Beekman, Anderson and Hannah Woodruff. Kate will be remembered at events in both Stuart, FL, and Monroe, Michigan. A visitation will be held on Thursday, March 21, 2024, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Aycock Funeral Home Young & Prill Chapel, 6801 SE Federal Highway, Stuart, FL 34997. On Sunday, March 24th, from 2:00pm-6:00pm a visitation will be held at the Bacarella Funeral Home 1201 S Telegraph Rd, Monroe, MI 4816. On Monday, March 25th, she will lie in state at St. Mary's Parish Church 27 N Monroe St, Monroe, MI 48162 from 10:00am-11:00am followed by a funeral mass. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you donate in her memory to the Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association (RSDSA) or the Hope
for Fertility Foundation. Online condolences and special memories may be shared with the family by visiting the obituary page at www.bacarellafuneralhome.com .