Mary Katherine Woodson Black, devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend, passed away peacefully in her home on April 22, 2023. Katherine was born in Albemarle County on November 17th, 1927, and was the second child and oldest daughter to Carrie and Charlie Woodson. Katherine, along with her six siblings, was raised on Yellow Mountain, where they shared many happy memories together. The lessons and love from the Woodson homestead were carried throughout her life and fondly recalled by Katherine.
She married Charles Clarence “Hoot” Black the day after her 22nd birthday on November 18th, 1949, in Crozet. Their union of 58 years was founded in their devotion to each other, their mutual faith in God, and Katherine always knowing what was best. The couple settled in the Midway area and tirelessly raised their four sons—Dale, Danny, Steven and Charlie. The family was active in the community and Hillsboro Baptist Church. Katherine served as the matriarch and living history book for both the Black and Woodson families.
Katherine’s lasting legacy is one of service to family. A natural nurturer, she helped raise her younger siblings, then early in her marriage she tended to her father-in-law, later she steadfastly cared for her parents, and lovingly supported Clarence through illness in his final years. Always happy to offer advice, sometimes unsolicited, on health, cooking, child-rearing and driving. Her sharp wit, fast tongue and encyclopedia-like knowledge will be missed by many. Katherine’s kitchen prowess will be unmatched. She was a true master of holidays, cooking large family meals into her final year of life. She expertly whipped meringue, baked macaroni and cheese, made peach preserves, cooked custard and soaked a famous fruit cake each year. Her biscuits were on the shorter side, but ever practical Katherine would say, “You only need a top and bottom.”
Katherine is predeceased by her parents, her husband Charles Clarence Black, her brothers, John Benjamin Woodson and James Tucker Woodson, her sister Mattie Frances Graves, and daughter-in-law Sharon Utz. She is survived by her sisters, Charlotte Dollins, Betty Barksdale, and Nancy Farinholt, her sons, Clarence Dale Black (Genevieve Black), Daniel Thomas Black (Bonnie Black), John Steven Black, and Charles Richard Black (Nancy Black), her grandchildren, Caty Black (Ryan Crowley), Brandon Black (Aly), Thomas Black, Sarah Smedley (Garrett), McKenzie Black, and Johnathon Lawthorne, four great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held April 26, at Hillsboro Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Hillsboro Baptist Church Cemetery fund at 6406 Hillsboro Ln, Crozet, VA 22932.
