Obituaries

Emily Kathryn Woodard died on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, at her home in Denton, TX. She
was born in Sherman, Texas on November 16, 1973, to the late Rebecca Opel and Gary Atchley.
Emily was a soft voice with loud courage, and a passion for helping others. Emily was fiercely
compassionate about the needs of others, and always positioned herself to serve those in need.

Emily attended Sherman High School. She obtained both a cosmetology and a barber license and
worked as a hairdresser while attending nursing school. Emily obtained her Associates Degree in
Nursing from Grayson College. As a lifelong learner, she continued her education and earned a
Bachelor of Science in Clinical Nursing, Master of Business Administration, and became a
Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality. Emily’s love for patient care led her to pursue
healthcare quality, and she most recently worked as the Director of Clinical Quality Management
at Teladoc. Prior to this, she worked in many healthcare roles in North Texas and West Virginia,
consistently advancing in her career, and growing her network. Most notably, she was a
Volunteer Advocate for the Texas Peer Assistance Program for Nurses, where she assisted 28
nurses in returning to work following substance abuse conditions. She was a mentor for Student
Nurse Experience in a Clinic Setting, and an Education Committee member in the Texas
Association for Healthcare Quality. She was a membership chair for the North Texas Association
for Healthcare Quality, and a member of the National Association for Healthcare Quality. She
cared deeply about her coworkers and had a knack for peer development. Her investment in
others was reflected in many long-term friendships. This was most recently evident in her annual
employee satisfaction surveys, where she was consistently recognized for her high scores.

As only Emily could, she took full advantage of her last days. She enjoyed a daily Orange Julius
(or two) made by her husband, Orland. She escorted her daughter, Hannah, through her Temple
Endowment, followed by the traditional visit to Luby’s. She gloated about stealing a Braum’s
milkshake from her son, Michael. She sang along as her daughter, Leah, danced around the
living room to songs from Grease. She gave her grandsons Briggs and Cameron lots of kissyroos
and snuggles. She reminded her step-son, Zack, that prioritizing your education is never a bad
idea. Her step-mother, Deborah, visited from Cisco, and they attended the Atchley family
reunion. Emily also visited with her mother-in-law, Nancy, and many other family members and
friends. Emily took every opportunity to retell the story of her son-in-law, Ben, singing Rainbow
Connection in a Kermit the Frog voice when they first met. She also reminded her daughter-in-
law, Callie, that while she may be prone to make a mess, we don’t cry over spilled milk.

When her final days on earth were complete, she was welcomed into Heaven with a perfect
mani-pedi, and her beautiful “Atchley curls” on full display. Emily had a long-standing love for
Jesus, which led her to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on

January 2, 2016. Emily felt comforted by the belief that families are eternal and visited many
Temples for family history work. The Temples she visited included St. Paul Minneapolis,
Minnesota, St. George, Utah, Laie, Hawaii, Winter Quarters, Nebraska, and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Notably, she forgot nice shoes in Vegas and attended the Temple in flip-flops, to which the
bishop welcomed her, stating “you’re at a Temple in Sin City, we are just glad you’re here.”
Emily’s favorite church calling was teaching the primary kids, and she frequently came home
with funny stories from her time with them.
Emily was in love with bee keeping. It was a passion she found later in life, but she dove into the
opportunity to do her part to save the bees and help the environment. Her green thumb ensured
the bees had fresh flowers, and her maternal nature ensured they were pampered. Her passion for
learning paired with her love of bees led her to become the Secretary of the Denton Beekeepers
Association, and she began pursuing a Master Beekeeper Certification. Emily was an advocate
for trying new things with a can-do attitude. She was always chasing the most she could get out
of life and encouraging others to do the same. Emily’s excitement for life was infectious.

Of her many hobbies, she loved to crochet and had recently taken up knitting. Similarly, she
found a way to weave her loved ones together into one incredible unit. Like the blanket she was
making for a sick friend that she didn’t quite get to finish, there are bumps and imperfections.
There are loose ends that still need tied, and pieces that have been reworked to get it just right.
The imperfections are what make that blanket, and her group of loved ones, uniquely hers. In her
short 50 years, she lived a life that can’t fit into a standard obituary. This is only fitting, as she
was not a standard woman. Emily loved a good list, and while her energy and essence can’t be
captured with words on paper, a list seems appropriate.
Emily loved: Her family, bees, See’s Candy, Tieks shoes, Dr. Seuss, moomoos, vocabulary
words, Outlander, hiking, reading, scuba diving, little treats, fresh flowers, running, Lipsyl
chapstick, her friends, traveling, house plants, Criss Angel Mindfreak, writing thank you cards,
Billy Joel, riding bikes, TikTok, volunteer work, naps, roller skating, Disney World, paddle
boarding, and kayaking.

Emily did not love: Sunburns, rodents, cooking, football, the DMV, Tiger Balm, running, being
told what to do, litter, and federal death taxes.
When we miss her most, we will turn to Emily’s favorite advice to share. We will drop our
shoulders, loosen our stomach, relax our eyebrows, and drop our tongue from the roof of our
mouth. Just for now. We will take a deep breath and be grateful for her.
Emily’s celebration of life will be held Friday, November 1, 2024, from 6:00-8:00p.m. At Dannel
Funeral Home in Sherman, TX.
302 S Walnut St, Sherman, TX 75090.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Charitywater.org, or North Texas Food Bank.

Her church service will be on Saturday, November 2, 2024, at 10:00a.m. At the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Denton, TX.
3000 Old North Rd, Denton, TX 76209