Delia Woods

Delia Woods (née McNeela), 97, of Park Ridge, Illinois, passed away on January 12, 2026. Born on February 17, 1928 in Swinford, County Mayo, Ireland to John McNeela and Ellie Golden, she was the beloved wife of the late James Woods, sister of the late Brian McNeela, Mary Callaghan, Peter McNeela, Kathleen O’Neill, Eileen Campbell, John McNeela, and Madeline Tolan. She was the cherished mother of Joanie (Marty) Nienajadlo, Eileen (Phillip) Pheiffer, Kathy (Steve) Weinstein, Brian (Penny) Woods, and the late Mary Pat (Jim) Tucci, and the dear DeeDee of Brenda, Bridget, Tony, Joseph, Libby, Michael, Bethany, Danielle, Aiden, Blayne, Rory, Jillian, Brittany, Evan, Austin, Anna, Stephen, Claire and the late Brendan. She was a fond aunt of many nieces and nephews, and the loving great-grandmother of 32.

Growing up in the rural west of Ireland, Delia left school at age 14 to work the family farm. In addition to planting potatoes, beets, oats, and hay, she reared chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, horses, pigs, and donkeys. Dreaming of bigger things, she set off on her own for America in 1946 at the age of 18, the first in her nuclear family to do so. Arriving in New York with naught but a ten-pound note (to be mailed immediately back to her mother upon arrival), she didn’t have sufficient fare for the train journey to Chicago. Luckily, a Sam Hastings from Belfast and a Mr. Sullivan from Boston caught wind of her distress and purchased the ticket for her. She repaid one of them after receiving her firstcheck as a switchboard operator several weeks later but didn’t have an address for the other and often lamented that. Such is just one example of the many moments of kindness, serendipity,and friendship that marked her rich life.

Soon after arriving in Chicago, where many aunts and uncles from the old country had already established themselves, she met a handsome young butcher name Jimmy from County Monaghan, with whom she was happily married for the next sixty years. Their affectionate, laughter-filled marriage inspired everyone around them. After raising five children on the northwest side of Chicago, she and Jim retired to five acres in rural Kingston, Illinois in 1973. Their home in Kingston would be a hub for the family for the following decades, where children would roam the fields, Jimmy would be riding his tractor (shirtless!) or frying up homegrown zucchinis and Deliawould be preparing her famed Irish soda bread with homemade raspberry preserves. It was a refuge of countryside for the many city folk in their life, and offered an open door to neighbors nearby and far flung who often came by for sparkling stories and generous hospitality.

Jim and Delia had an active and social retirement, not least spentroaming far and wide across North America in their RV before selling it to buy a small plot of land outside Congress, Arizonain 1980. Here they formed a strong community of like-minded souls over the next twenty-six years, marked by long morning walks in the desert, afternoons of Rummikub at the clubhouse, and glasses of wine at sundown. Each summer, they returned to Kingston where they grew vegetables, communed with localfriends like Curly, Elsie, and Chicken Legs, and graciously hosted their widening brood of friends, relatives, and grateful descendants.

Throughout it all, Delia and Jim were devout Catholics thatanchored their lives in prayer and the church. Visitors to Delia's condo in Park Ridge, where she lived after being widowed, were likely to find her reading her prayer cards, rosary in one hand, lost in supplication for all the people she cared about. She loved to sing, and never hesitated to burst into song, be it a hymn, an Irish rebel song, or a lullaby from her childhood.

Deedee always took care of her appearance, and you had a good chance of finding her looking polished but practical in a matching (purple) pantsuit. She had a beautiful laugh and you could easily elicit a gasp and widened bright blue eyes by telling her the outrageous price of something. Politically speaking, she loved Jimmy Carter and cared nothing for Nancy Reagan. She was staunchly pro-life and anti-war. She suffered no fools while radiating gentleness.

In the end, she loved Jesus, her family, and many dear friends. Her last days reflected her beautiful life – filled with loved ones and songs of worship. She was fortunate to have a wonderful physician for the last eight years, Dr. May Soliz, who tenderly cared for Delia until her final moments. Now that she’s in heaven, we hope she’s having a toast with her beloved Jim,Mary Pat, and her other loved ones for the rest of us sinnersbelow.

Memorial Visitation Monday, January 19, at Nelson Funeral Home 820 W. Talcott Avenue, Park Ridge from 10:00 a.m. until time of Service 11:00 a.m. Inurnment Private. (847) 823-5122.