Mary Victoria Wood

Children:

Mary Kathleen Bach (deceased), married to David, with children Hillary and Lindsey

Mark James Welch, married to Jaylyn, with children Matthew and Katelyn

Sarah Elizabeth Carter (deceased)

Mary had a great smile and was known to be fun-loving and funny. She took pride in her presentation, whether it was her clothes or her house, she wanted nice things.

Born in Trinidad, Colorado, Mary moved to Albuquerque, NM at a young age. She lived with her parents and her grandmother, Lita, who gave her a strong upbringing in the Catholic church, which played a large part in her upbringing. Mary married Jim Welch at a young 17 years old and their first child, Kathy, arrived shortly thereafter. Mary worked at a bank and then for the FBI, and eventually moved to Texas, where their second child, Mark, entered the picture.

Mary completed her undergraduate degree, and once the family moved to Tulsa, she started working at Hissom in Sand Springs. Mary was given an opportunity to build the hearing-impaired program for Sand Springs Schools, and she taught the deaf for many years. Because the hearing-impaired community is small, Mary taught many of the same students for multiple years in a row - that unique environment allowed Mary to cultivate relationships far beyond a traditional parent/student relationship, and many of Mary’s close friends were students’ parents, and eventually the students as they entered adulthood. In the 1980s, Mary was elected the Teacher of the Year for Sand Springs Public Schools.

After completing her Masters at the University of Tulsa, Mary went into school administration and was the principal of Central Elementary in Sand Springs. Mary had an amazing 25 years in Sand Springs Public Schools. There she made many friends, and many of her closest relationships included the students, parents, faculty and staff from her many years working in Sand Springs.

Mary loved family. While her parents were living, she would talk with her mother every day - this is significant, because her mother was in Albuquerque and this was way before mobile phones, when you paid by the minute for long distance calls. Kathy married Dave Bach and they gave Mary her first two grandchildren: Hillary and Lindsey. Hillary is now married to Glendon Nelson and they gave Mary her first 2 great grandchildren, Glendon, Jr. and David Nelson. Lindsey is now married to Cameron Clark, and little Josie Clark was just born about 2 months ago. Mary was able to hold Josie just a few days prior to the car accident. Mark married Jaylyn, hence Mary’s third and fourth grandchildren, Matthew and Katie Welch. Mary loved her grandchildren and was so excited to have three great grandchildren! She would spoil all of them at every opportunity.

Mary and Jim Welch divorced after 16 years of marriage, and Mary met a very special man, Jim Carter, who also worked in Sand Springs Schools. They married and had a daughter, Sarah, who was Mary’s closest relationship. Mary’s daughter, Kathy, passed away in 2011, and then Sarah passed away in 2019. It was inconceivable to lose one daughter, let alone two. Both of those two losses had a significant toll on Mary’s spirit, but Mary and Sarah had a special bond and the resulting grief from Sarah’s death was almost unbearable.

Mary had many passions including socializing and traveling with friends. In the past few months, Mary traveled to Mexico, New Mexico and Missouri. These were each special trips with very special friends! Mary loved quality food. She was not one to eat a lot, but she enjoyed fresh food and knew the best places to grab a bite to eat! Mary also loved to shop. She was always on the hunt for the special deal, and she loved to trade and barter. Mary should most be remembered for her friendships. Mary touched so many people in a very deep and caring way. She was strong in her Christian faith, and she was giving to anyone in need.

Mary’s car accident resulted in significant injuries. Mary was always intense and dedicated to her cause, and attempting to recover from the car accident was no different. However, her injuries proved insurmountable. Mary would want everyone to be happy she is with the Lord and with her family and friends who passed before her. Mary would want everyone to celebrate her life well-lived.

Mary’s Celebration of Life is scheduled to take place at 2:00 PM on December 27th at Memorial Park Chapel, located at 5111 S Memorial Dr, Tulsa, OK 74145.