Doris Verna Atwood

Doris Verna Atwood, 91, of Narragansett, Rhode Island, passed away in the early morning hours of Sunday, December 2. Verna, as she was known, was born on July 13, 1927, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the eldest child of Owen Aldridge James and Doris Baum James, who had emigrated there from England after WWI. The familywhich eventually included Vernas beloved brother Owen, known as "Odie"then relocated to Rhode Island and later to Massachusetts, where they settled for good. Verna graduated from North Attleboro High School and married John Osmyn Atwood, an MIT graduate and U.S. Navy Ensign. The couple moved to Queens, New York, where Verna gave birth to Judith, then moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where their other two children, John and James, were born. Ultimately the family landed in Summit, New Jersey, where Verna devoted herself to raising her kids, working as a bank bookkeeper, and assisting the ministry at Calvary Episcopal Church. Throughout, Verna and her family maintained a strong connection to New England, building a summer home on Great Island in Narragansett in the 1960s, which after their children left home became the full-time residence for Verna and her husband John (who died in 1997). There, Verna maintained a busy social lifeshe was active with both St. Peter's By the Sea and the Order of Julian of Norwichbut as much as anything she enjoyed the natural world, especially the flowers and birds that grew and flew in abundance around her waterfront home. And even in her declining years, her sly wit and the proper British sensibilities of her upbringing seldom failed her, making her delightful company in nearly every circumstance. Verna leaves behind not a family in grief but one that is grateful for the long life that she was blessed to lead and the myriad ways she bestowed her love on those she cared for: Judith, her husband George, and their children Melissa and William, along with Melissa's children, Wilson, Cita, and Kai; John, his wife Audrey, and their twin sons, Dashiell and Osmyn; and James, his wife Kathy, and their children, Samuel, Ethan, and Lucy. Vernas nephews, Joseph, Scott, and Christopher, were also dear to her, and she to them. Gratefully, the family thanks true friends Margaret Reily and Timothy Stone for their devotion to Verna through the years. According to her wishes, Verna's ashes will be scattered off Point Judith lighthouse in a private ceremony. A service for friends and family will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 21, at St. Peters By the Sea in Narragansett. In lieu of sending flowers, the family encourages Verna's many friends to plant some in her memory.