Margaret Patricia “Pat” Wood
Margaret Patricia “Pat” Wood, of Philipsburg, PA passed away on Friday, December 11, 2020, at Windy Hill Village in Philipsburg, Pa. She was sadly a victim of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
She was the daughter of the late Ernest Sr. and Margaret (McConville) Oëlbermann, born on March 4, 1927, in Philipsburg.
She married George H. Wood Jr. on April 19, 1949, in Philipsburg. He preceded her in death on February 10, 2013.
Mrs. Wood was a member of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Philipsburg.
Pat served in the United States Cadet Nurse Corps in the war efforts in World War II in Philipsburg and was a 1944 graduate of the Philipsburg High School. She later earned her Registered Nursing (RN) degree from the Philipsburg State General Hospital School of Nursing in 1947. She worked as a nurse for many years at the Philipsburg State General Hospital, for several private practices and at the Philipsburg Medical Center.
Pat was a natural nurturer, always going beyond herself to help others. Whether through her nursing skills, her caring for and raising nine children, or her constant and gracious opening of her home to friends and strangers alike, she was a mother to many. All felt at home in “ Pat’s Palace” for the house was always full of laughter, life and support for all. She loved the outdoors, camp life and having sing-alongs with family and friends. She taught herself to sew, becoming an accomplished seamstress. Her love of life filled her activities and everything she undertook with a high-level of energy. She loved swimming, skiing and dancing, continuing to dance the jitterbug well into her 90’s. Many summer evenings through the years, you would find her swimming laps at Black Moshannon State Park until a few short years ago. Her passion for aviation motivated her to take flying lessons before she could drive, peddling her bicycle to Albert’s Airport where she achieved a solo flight in a bi-plane and successful barrel rolls.
In addition, her love of skiing led her to create the Black Moshannon Ski Club for which she served as President.
In addition to her parents and her husband, Mrs. Wood was preceded in death by two brothers, Ernest and Michael Oëlbermann, and a son-in-law, Joseph Nelson.
She is survived by 5 daughters: Sandra P. Whitehead and her husband, James, Sr., of Philipsburg, Mary Karen Shanahan and her husband, Allen, of Tucson, Ariz., Maureen A. Gisiger and her husband, Jean Claude, of Viry, France, Jennifer J. Stawinski and her husband, Nicholas, of Owings, Md., and Laurie S. Nelson, of Middletown, Pa.; 4 sons: Michael A. Wood and his wife, Patricia, of Lanse, Pa., Robert C. Wood of Philipsburg, George E. Wood and his wife, Deborah, of St. Augustine, Fla., and Mark E. Wood, of Philipsburg; 18 grandchildren; 30 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church, Philipsburg, with Rev. John Gibbons, celebrant. The Mass will be limited to immediate family only due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Interment will be in Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Cemetery, RD Philipsburg.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Pat may be made to Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 400 S. Fourth Street, Philipsburg, PA 16866 or to The Emily Whitehead Foundation, 441 South Centre Street, Philipsburg, PA 16866.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Beezer-Heath Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Philipsburg.
