John L. Wooley

John Lee Wooley, age 59, of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan passed away Tuesday evening, July 14, 2015 at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor after a battle with cancer and a bone marrow stem cell transplant which offered him additional time with family and friends.

John was born January 11, 1956 in Houston, Texas to Marvin and Mary (Fellers) Wooley. He was a graduate of Sam Houston High School and continued his education at the University of Houston where he earned his Bachelor’s degree. He served in the United States Navy during on the USS Kitty Hawk during the Vietnam War. John Married Shelley Kae Stork on April 19, 1987 at St. Andrews by the Sea in San Diego, CA.

John retired as from the U. S. Department of Homeland Security in 2012, serving most recently as the Resident Agent in Charge of Northern Michigan, He and his family came to Michigan in 2006 after serving nearly five years as the Deputy Attache' for Homeland Security to Brazil and Bolivia, where he was attached to both the U. S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil and the U. S. Consulate in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Prior to his service in Brazil, he served in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Nogales, Arizona, Houston, Texas and Galveston, Texas. He also served with the U. S. Border Patrol in San Clemente, California.

Despite facilitating numerous cases which made a significant impact into the illicit activities of those who would traffic narcotics into the United States, as well as those who would illegally traffic in arms, money laundering and human trafficking as well as illegal smuggling of all kinds, John was a humble and kind man. However, if he found you on the wrong side of right, he was not to be trifled with; despite his gentle nature, he was not someone to be dismissed. For his sons, he was larger than life and for his wife, he was her soulmate, to his granddaughter he was simply Grandpa - the man who kept bad guys from hurting people. He often said he wanted to be remembered as having been a kind man, an honorable man and a man who loved to laugh.

John was a member of FLEOA (Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association) and St. James Episcopal Church. He helped with the local Boy Scouts. Before moving to Sault Ste. Marie, he helped start a troop in Green Valley, AZ, and he ran a Lone Scout Troop a the US Embassy in Brasilia. John was currently restoring two Volkswagen Karmann Ghias.

John is survived by his wife: Shelley Kae (Stork) Wooley; three sons: Joshua Russell Wooley, Robert Travis Wooley, and Macon Augustus Wooley all of Sault Ste. Marie, MI; and his cherished granddaughter: Payton. John is also survived by his siblings Irene (Willard) Moore of Clear Lake, TX, and Marva (Larry) Franks of New Caney, TX.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Marvin and Mary Wooley and four siblings: Joe Wooley, Lawrence Wooley, Cecilia Wilson, and Judy Carver.

A funeral service will be held at 12:00 Noon on Monday, July 27, 2015 at Kingwood Funeral Home, with Reverend Bob Lowry officiating. Visitation will be on Sunday from 4:00 P.M. until 6:00 P.M. and on Monday friends may gather at the Funeral home beginning at 11:30 AM. This follows an earlier service held July 21, 2015 in Sault Sainte Marie Michigan.

John will be laid to rest in Bellville, Texas, in the Oak Knoll cemetery at 4:30 PM on Monday, July 27th with full military honors.

Final arrangements are being handled by Kingwood Funeral Home. Condolences may be left online at www.kingwoodfuneralhome.com or www.csmulder.com