Alan Woodbury

Through the life of Alan Woodbury we learn of the incredible gift that we all have in family by the way he deeply loved his wife and children each and every day. He was known for his great wisdom about life that was offered in his thoughts, words, and deeds. Alan treasured his role as a father but just may have argued that being a grandfather was the greatest finale of his life. As those who knew Alan can attest, he could always make those around him laugh and no matter what he was doing he always seemed to have the best time. Life will never be the same without Alan here, but his memory will remain forever near and dear to the hearts and lives of all who loved him.

By the year 1936, the Great Depression that surfaced in October of 1929 still lingered in the air with an unemployment rate of 16.9 percent. With lofty promises to turn things around President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected for a second term while popular films like The Alamo and books like Gone with the Wind provided people an escape - even if only for a moment. This year was a year to remember for one young family from St. Johns, Michigan, as they were pleased to announce the birth of their healthy baby boy on October 9th. Baby Alan was the fifth of eight children born to his parents, Charley and Lulu (Ritter) Woodbury, and was raised on a farm at the edge of town. His father worked for the city while his mother was both a cook and a busy homemaker.

Like many young boys, Alan could be a bit mischievous and often kept his parents on their toes. He enjoyed hunting and fishing while he was growing up and absolutely did not want to go to kindergarten. Since the decision wasn’t really up to him, Alan ended up attending local schools and in addition to his duties as a student, he had a paper route and also helped his father with the animals.

After he graduated from Rodney B. Wilson High School in St. Johns, Alan entered the work force. He initially worked at Saylor-Beall and later moved to Fisher Body. His career finally took him to Oldsmobile where he spent the remainder of his career before retiring after nearly 30 years. Throughout the course of his life Alan was a UAW man to his core.

While he was busy getting started in his career, Alan’s personal life took a new and exciting turn when he was introduced to the young woman with whom he would spend the best years of his life. Her name was Joy Bigelow and they met at a party when she was 18 and Alan was 21. They dated for about three years and were married on February 2, 1959, in Memphis, Tennessee. The newlyweds settled in town and were thrilled to welcome three children into their hearts and home: Julie, Alan Jr., and Cindy. Alan loved being with family and regularly traveled with his wife and children all over the country, usually to visit relatives. Alan also enjoyed being home with his family always seemed to ask Joy, “What are you going to cook?” However, the tables were turned on Sunday mornings when he could be found in the kitchen whipping up breakfast while listening to polka music.

Throughout his life Alan was a man of many interests. He enjoyed pheasant hunting and often took his children with him when they were younger so they could flush out the pheasants. Alan liked going on trips and frequently went out to eat. He was a history buff who loved reading any historical book or publication he could get his hands on, and he was always more than willing to talk history with anyone who was interested in engaging. When grandchildren joined their family, Alan couldn’t have been happier and spending time with them quickly became a favorite activity. One of the things he enjoyed most was attending his grandson’s football games. It was easy to see that he adored his grandchildren and out of love for them, Alan often picked on them all in the name of fun. In fact, Alan’s grandchildren thought “papa” was hilarious.

Life was not without times of great trial such as the devastating loss of Alan’s son in 1972. In whatever life brought him, however, he was a man of courage who continued to embrace the days he was given.

There are so many things we will miss about Alan Woodbury as he was truly one of a kind. At times his words were laced with great wisdom while at other times they were laden with just the right amount of humor that always made us laugh. Alan enjoyed traveling, but there was nowhere he would rather be than gathered with his loved ones. He will be deeply missed and warmly remembered.

Alan R. Woodbury died September 28, 2011. Alan’s family includes his wife, Joy; daughters, Julie (Terry Brunner) Woodbury and Cindy (Kenneth) Clark; grandchildren, Joshua Woodbury, Jill (Phil) Lee, Andrew (Sheri) Heathman and Kenneth and Calvin Clark; step-grandson, Trevor Brunner; and great-grandchildren, Alan and Ashlynn Lee; sisters, Marilyn (Hubert) Waite and Linda (Elvin) Wieber; and brothers, Gerald and Chan Woodbury. Alan was preceded in death by a son, Alan R. Woodbury, Jr.; his parents; sister, Marjorie Marecek; and brothers, Vern and Norman. Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Monday, October 3, 2011, at Osgood Funeral Home, St. Johns, burial following at Union Home Cemetery, with Pastor Bob Prange officiating. The family will receive friends Sunday 5-8 p.m. at the funeral home. To learn more about Alan and view his Life Story film, visit his personal webpage at www.lifestorynet.com/memories/74072. A contribution will be made in Alan’s name to a charity of his family’s choice.