Who is Mrs. Woodmoore from Taft and what is their importance?

Mrs. Woodmoore is Marion and Ruth's mother. She initially hated John Nickel, even strangling him the first time he tried to visit baby Franklin in the nursery. In the narrative, she has grown fond of John and has him over for dinner regularly, at one point showing him photos of nine-year-old Franklin. She constantly tries to convince Marion to return to Memphis. At the end of the novel, Fay tells Mrs. Woodmoore everything that happened, and Mrs. Woodmoore tells John that for everyone's safety he cannot see Fay anymore.