Withers Goodwyn Peebles III

Withers Goodwyn Peebles III, of Mooresville, Alabama, passed away peacefully on December 16th, 2025. He was surrounded by his family in his final hours. Called “Woody” to everyone who knew him and “Woodaddy” to his five grandchildren, he led and loved our family with determination and devotion.

Born August 2nd, 1949, Woody was the son of Withers Goodwyn Peebles, Jr. and Ada Monroe McCaleb. He came home to 15 North Street and, basically, never left. He and his brother Brent grew up working. Before he started Kindergarten, Woody was mapping out his farm with toy tractors in the backyard. By nine, he was already behind the wheel, hauling cotton trailers in one of his father’s farm trucks. His remarkable math skills earned him the only three A+s his fifth grader teacher, Mrs. Littlefield, had given in forty years of teaching. He was an exceptional swimmer, slalom water-skier, and defensive basketball player.

In the fall of 1967, Woody pledged Sigma Chi at the University of Alabama and walked-on to Wimp Sanderson’s basketball team. After a semester in Tuscaloosa, a crop failure called him home to work on his father’s farm. He would tell anyone willing to listen that days spent getting up before dawn to muck out chicken houses and grind feed in a mixer and hammer mill with his father and brother gave him an education superior to any learning he would’ve received anywhere else. As a family, they farmed cotton, built a restaurant, put up billboards, and developed real estate. Woody was named an Outstanding Young Farmer by the Athens Jaycees. He also served on the Alabama National Guard for six years from 1968-1974. For the next three decades, in addition to farming and developing real estate, Woody served on the Board of Trustees at Randolph School in Huntsville, and was active in the Decatur chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He lived to watch high school basketball and college football.

A routine visit to McMullen Farms Supply changed his destiny in the summer of 1980 where he encountered the love of his life, Lyla McMullen, and knew immediately he wanted to marry her. They were married for 45 wonderful years. He never met a stranger and, on a daily basis, reminded his daughters that the most important thing was to “Know What’s Going On Around You!”

Woody is survived by his wife Lyla McMullen Peebles and their two daughters: Jordan Peebles Dye (Seth) of Lenoir City, Tennessee and Memory Peebles Risinger (Jacob) of Columbus, Ohio. He was extremely proud of his five grandchildren: Lyla Lynn Dye, Lou Lou Dye, and Royal Dye, Willa Goodwyn Risinger and Alice Jane Risinger. His devoted younger brother, John Brent Peebles (Shuggie), precious nieces and nephew, Lauren Peebles Matthews (Seth) of Santa Rosa Beach, FL, Claiborne Peebles Saldarriaga (Juan) of Torrance, California, Jenifer Heidenreich (Ben) of Atlanta, Georgia, and Scott Wilmoth (Celina) of Smyrna, Georgia, great-nieces and nephews: Jack Heidenreich, Ada Saldariagga, and Ernie and Emilia Wilmoth.

The family would like to thank all the doctors, nurses, and caregivers at Huntsville Hospital, Encompass of Huntsville, Riverside Senior Living, Athens Health and Rehab and Athens Limestone Hospital for taking excellent care of Woody during his final days.

Celebration of Life Service

Saturday, December 20th @ 10 am

St. John’s Episcopal Church

Decatur, Alabama

Visitation Immediately Following

In Lieu of flowers, please make donations to Fellowship of Christian Athletes.