SHIRLEY ANN COOPER WOZENCRAFT
09/18/1931 - 08/23/2022
Surrounded by her loving family, Shirley Ann Cooper Wozencraft died on August 23, 2022. She was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela on September 18, 1931, the only child of English parents. Her father, Cyril George Cooper, was a Cambridge-educated geologist for Royal Dutch Shell; her mother, Elsie Lacey Cooper, was a teacher. Shirley Ann called herself a “child of the oil camps” and lived all over the world during her childhood, including the Netherlands, Egypt and the United Kingdom. After WWII began in Europe in September 1939, Shirley Ann evacuated with her mother to the English countryside. They eventually joined her father in Midland, Texas, where he had been sent to help map the Permian Basin. After graduating from Midland High School, Shirley Ann attended Goucher College in Baltimore and graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi. Following college, she worked for Senator Price Daniel in Washington, DC and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. She then moved to Houston, where she worked for the Institute of International Education (IIE). Shirley Ann married Frank McReynolds Wozencraft, a Baker Botts law firm partner, on November 25, 1960. In 1966, they moved with their three children to Washington, DC, where Frank served as the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel in the Johnson administration. They returned to Houston in 1969. Intellectually curious and keenly intelligent, Shirley Ann loved to learn and traveled extensively. A leader in the community, she served on the boards of IIE, Citizens Who Care, Asia Society, Planned Parenthood and The University of Texas McDonald Observatory. She was an active member of the Houston Committee on Foreign Relations, the Art & Antiques Study Group and the Junior League. Shirley Ann was a longtime member of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church and Houston Country Club. Passionate about the arts, she supported PBS, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Symphony, Alley Theatre and Houston Ballet. Following Frank’s death in March 1994, Shirley Ann married investor and rancher Charles Goodwin on October 18, 1997. They traveled and enjoyed spending time with their families and friends. They spent weekends at Charles’s ranch in Burton, Texas and attended concerts at Festival Hill in nearby Round Top. Shirley Ann’s family would like to express their gratitude to Dr. George Younis, Dr. Thomas Nichols, Dr. William Manuel, and to her devoted caregivers – Noris Bernal, Rosa Melendez and Carla Orsini. They would also like to thank the doctors, nurses and chaplain at Methodist Hospital. Shirley Ann is preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Frank Wozencraft. She is survived by her husband, Charles Goodwin; her children: Frank McReynolds Wozencraft,
Jr. (Elizabeth); Ann Lacey Wozencraft (Craig Willey); and George Wilson Wozencraft; and her five grandchildren: Jack Willey, Cooper
Wozencraft, Frank Willey, Julia Wozencraft and Kate Willey. She is also survived by step-children Gay Wickham and Jonathan Goodwin, step-daughter-in-law Lissa Goodwin and five step-grandchildren. A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, September 7th at 2 pm at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road, in Houston, Texas. A Reception will follow in the Bagby Parish Hall. A live stream video link will be available at https://stmartinsepiscopal.org/funerals.
Contributions in Shirley Ann’s memory may be directed to The University of Texas McDonald Observatory (Development Office, 2515 Speedway, Stop C1402, Austin, TX 78712-1206; 512471-3303) or to the charity of one’s choice.