Miss Austen explains that Mr. Woodhouse married later in life and I would assume that he was no small prize to be sought out by the eligible ladies within his vicinity.

I have a "feeling" that Mr. Woodhouse was traumatized by the loss of his wife after just a few years during childbirth and how that event might still upset him.

Mr. Woodhouse, from the "old school," probably felt it his duty to marry and produce an heir to his family, property, and fortune and the late Mrs. Woodhouse was the fortunate (or not so fortunate)recipient of that distinction.

So far, he addresses every married woman of his acquaintence as "poor Mrs....." and relates their misfortune at getting married, regardless of the relative merits of their respective marriages.

Whether the late Mrs. Woodhouse married for love, fortune, or both is a matter of conjecture. But I believe that Mr. Woodhouse, being a valetudinarian, was not an easy husband to live with or take care of! So was Mrs. Woodhouse originally lucky in her marriage or unlucky before her sudden and untimely death? How would we characterize their marriage should the late Mrs. Woodhouse lived a long life with Mr. Woodhouse? Hmmmmm.