On October 2, 2024, 66-year-old Preston, Minnesota, Reverend Deanna Marie Woodward died suddenly. Born Deanna Marie Sigrist on September 30, 1958, in Zumbrota, Minnesota, to Kenneth and Lennis Sigrist of rural Pine Island, she grew up on a dairy farm with a younger brother Bryan.
An exceptional student, she graduated from Pine Island High School in 1976 as Valedictorian. Attaching Hamline University for more study, 1980 saw the completion of a bachelor’s degree in religion. She met her lifetime companion, Reverend Mark Alan Woodward, at this time.
Married on June 21, 1980, in Pine Island, the couple then moved to Evanston, Illinois, to attend Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, where they both finished their theological studies in 1983. Ordained as an Elder in the United Methodist Church in 1985, her work covered several Minnesota and Illinois churches.
She improved many areas over her service, including churches in Wykoff, Fountain, Rochester, Plainview, and Kellogg. Following a period of time devoted to raising her girls, ministry returned in 2014 as part of Maple Leaf Parish, serving churches in Fountain, Cherry Grove, Spring Valley, and Preston.
Though she was a woman of many passions—gardening, reading, travelling, and rummage sales—above all, her grandmother was a role that provided her delight.
October 7th is a visitation at Faith United Methodist Church in Spring Valley; October 8th is a service. United Methodist Cemetery, Preston will host interment. Any of the Maple Leaf Parish churches can accept memorial gifts in her honour.
