This world lost a beloved soul on October 15, 2020 when our sweet Ardith passed through the veil to be welcomed by loved ones on the other side.
Born on September 13, 1919 in a sod house on the windy plains near Stuart, Nebraska, to Fern Edna (Stone) and Guy Bert Paradise, Ardith was no stranger to humble living. Nevertheless, her fondest childhood memories were of her life on a little homestead in the Laramie mountain range of Wyoming with her two brothers and two sisters. They later moved to Casper, Wyoming where she graduated from Natrona County High School in 1939.
She married Jack L. Wood October 1, 1939 in Laramie, Wyoming. They became the parents of seven children that blossomed into 26 grandchildren, 48 great-grandchildren, and numerous great great-grandchildren. They raised their family in Guernsey, Hannah, and Laramie before moving to Oroville, California in 1952. They also lived in Pakistan for three years while Jack worked on the Mangla Dam project.
Wyoming called once again and Ardith and Jack moved to Saratoga where Jack opened his own business: Togy Electric. Ardith served as the Relief Society President for her church and made many close friends. While living in Saratoga they adopted and raised one of their granddaughters.
Ardith loved life and learning. She was an avid reader who especially enjoyed poetry which made her a “Scrabble whiz”. Always wishing to be a nurse, she obtained her LPN designation in 1956 and worked in the hospitals in Oroville and Fort Collins, Colorado. She also loved nature and found beauty in each day. However, she considered her greatest accomplishment to be that of a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. Her family was her greatest treasure. Believing strongly in our Savior, Jesus Christ, she became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and loved serving in the Temple.
She will be greatly missed by her family and all whose lives she touched while here on earth. Memorial services were held in Guernsey and Oroville with interment at Prairie Rest Cemetery in Guernsey on October 31, 2020.
