Annie Natta

Annie Rosalind Woodroffe-Natta was born on March 15, 1944, in the town of La Brea on the island of Trinidad. The daughter of James Woodroffe and Viola Gertrude Haynes Carrington, she lived primarily with her grandmother, Evelyn Laura Paul-Weston. Roz attended Naparima Girls’ High School in San Fernando and studied nursing at Central Preliminary Training School, receiving her certificate in 1969. She arrived in New York in 1971 to pursue her career. She spent the majority of it working as a neonatal intensive care nurse, spending time at Harlem Hospital and what is now New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital in the Inwood neighborhood in upper Manhattan.

Roz, as she was affectionately known, loved to travel. She would take advantage of her annual National Association of Neonatal Nurses conferences to visit places she’d long wanted to explore. She’d come back sharing pictures and stories about her trips to places like Chicago, Hawaii, Phoenix, and San Antonio. She also loved history and learning, and always found ways to pass that love on to her sons, including trips to Washington, DC, and Upper Canada Village.

She loved her family — both given and chosen — and found ways to express that love whenever possible, including countless notes and her love of cooking.

Annie Rosalind Woodroffe-Natta passed away in the early hours of Sunday, February 7, at the New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood. She was 76.

She leaves to cherish fond memories: her husband, Gilbert; her two sons, André and Ainsley (Lauren Biggers); her granddaughter, Florence Rose; sisters, Marion and Stella; brothers, Eric and Noel; and an extended family that enjoyed and cherished the warmth of her soul.

The family plans to hold a memorial service in March 2022. Details will be shared as they become available.