2000 Queen of Montevallo dies

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Billi M. Woodman died on Sept. 6 following an accident.

She was 91 years old and had lived in downtown Montevallo since 1997.

Billi, as she was affectionately called, was well known as an enthusiastic and tenacious campaigner for all of the many causes she supported.

In 2000 she was elected &8220;Queen of Montevallo&8221; at Monte Court, an event sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce.

A native of England, she came to Montevallo from St. Augustine, Fla., settling in a small apartment among retail stores on Middle Street.

She loved being &8220;in the middle of things.&8221;

Among her accomplishments was the brick paving and decorating of &8220;Magnolia Lane&8221; across the street from her home.

The family gave friends and relatives a listing of the amazing highlights of Billi Woodman&8217;s life: She had one daughter, four granddaughters, eight great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.

She had been a ballet dancer, understudy for Elizabeth Bergner in many movies, restaurant owner in England and Spain, hotel owner in England, international chef, pet shop owner, Senior Olympic Gold Metal winner and an artist. She had been married four times, lived in England, Spain and the U. S, shared an apartment with Elton John&8217;s grandmother, bred toy poodles, and directed a repertory company for many years.

Her house was bombed during WWII – she was home.

She went parasailing on her 70th birthday, started a youth hostel in St. Augustine, developed Magnolia Lane, headed the Montevallo Volunteer Corps, was elected Queen of Montevallo and was a columnist for Sunlight Newspaper in St. Augustine as &8220;Billie Britt.&8221;

The celebration of her life was held on Sept. 11 at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Montevallo.