DR. HALLEY ELIZABETH WOODWARD passed away unexpectedly on January 31, 2026. She was born in Westlake, Ohio on October 3, 1985. As a young child, she was fortunate enough to spend much of her time with her devoted grandparents Henry and Rose Ritzmann. After a move to Columbus, Ohio, while her mother attended Veterinary school, she spent her elementary school years developing her precocious intellect. Moving again to Connecticut, she spent her teen years attending the Taft School. Upon graduating, she enrolled at Bard College in upstate New York, where she met many of her life long friends. She spent some time in Boston, Massachusetts as a researcher for the National Institute of Health which led her to Clinical Psychology, the field she chose to make her profession. Pursuing that profession led her to move to Iowa where she not only completed her studies with a PhD from the University of Iowa, but also met the love of her life and future husband, Seth Hansen. Halley spent the majority of her professional life working tirelessly to help veterans with post traumatic stress disorder, and she was a passionate advocate for mental health.

Halley was deeply empathetic, and fiercely loved her family, friends, and animals. She loved adventure, even as a young child, as evidenced by the time she left her preschool because she was bored and navigated alone across a golf course to make her way home. As an adult she continued to pursue adventure through travel, hiking, horse-back riding, and new experiences. She loved music, reading, cryptozoology, visiting national parks, and poetry, and was always happy to share her new discoveries with those around her.

She also loved horrible puns. Really, really, really, horrible puns.

Halley is survived by her husband, Seth, pets Maisie, Fred, and Leopold, her parents, Dr. Irene Woodward and Dr. Walter Woodward (Marie Hall), her brothers, Peter (Courtney Bonning), Thomas (Kelly), and Michael (Ashley), her in-laws Carl, Cindy, Justin, and Melody Hansen, her Aunt Sharon Jackson, her uncles Robert Ritzmann (Christine), Charles, Tom, Stephen (Ginger), and Robert (Sherry) Woodward, cousins Alli Lish (Andrew), Ryan Ritzmann (Ashley), Tracy Daniel (Craig), Bryant Jackson (Anya Sidneva), Scott Jackson (Kelly), Matthew Woodward, Sarah Woodward, Andrew Woodward, Trey Woodward (Chelsea), Brandon Woodward (Nicole), Connor Woodward (Hannah), Austin Woodward, Rebecca Balmer, Robert Woodward Jr., Trevor Woodward, and her nieces and nephew, Lily Creech, Beatrix McElhatten-Woodward, Abby and Zoe Woodward, Charlotte Woodward, and West Hansen.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held Saturday, February 7, 2026 at 2:00 P.M. at the CHAMBERS FUNERAL HOME of CLEVELAND, 4420 ROCKY RIVER DR. AT PURITAS, where friends may call SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 12 NOON UNTIL TIME OF SERVICE.

Please send any pictures you may have of Halley for use during the service to: photosofhalleyw@gmail.com

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in her memory to any of the following:

Hope Meadows https://www.hopemeadowsoh.org/

Morris Animal Foundation https://support.morrisanimalfoundation.org/

PAWS Ohio https://www.pawsohio.org/donations

She Recovers Foundation https://sherecovers.org/donate/

Magnolia Clubhouse https://www.magnoliaclubhouse.org/support-us/donate

National Parks Foundation https://give.nationalparks.org/site/Donation2?df_id=3144&mfc_pref=T&3144.donation=form1

Planned Parenthood Action Fund https://www.weareplannedparenthoodaction.org/