Woody was born in Coats, NC, in 1921, but spent most of his youth in Burlington, NC. He was a Boy Scout and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout at age 13. Because he grew up during the Great Depression, he worked many jobs starting at an early age including paper boy, soda jerk in a drug store, clerk at the Piggly Wiggly and waiter. He put himself through UNC-Chapel Hill with those savings and the money he earned playing trumpet in The Ted Ross Orchestra, a swing/dance band. He graduated in1942 with a degree in Commerce.
Following graduation, Woody went to officer’s training at Harvard University, after which he served as a communications officer with the Navy during World War II. He served aboard an Admiral’s command ship in the Pacific, and said he never felt in danger, though he did see kamikaze pilots occasionally.
Having corresponded during the war with his future wife, Alice Wilson, whom he had first met at a high school dance and later dated in college, Woody returned stateside in December 1944 and immediately married her on January 6, 1945.
After the war, Woody began work in the purchasing department at Carolina Steel Corporation and, in his free time, designed and built the house that he continued to live in until the age of 97.
Woody was called up from the reserves for the Korean War. He retired as a Lieutenant Commander.
Upon resuming civilian life, Woody ultimately rose to become the Vice President of Purchasing for Carolina Steel, where he worked until he retired in 1985. Along the way, he took graduate courses in business from UNC-G and chaired the National Association of Purchasing Managers Steel Committee.
Woody contributed in many ways to the civic life of Greensboro, NC. He was on the first board of directors for Hamilton Lakes Pool and helped design the original pool and clubhouse. He was a member of the Jaycees and also a Boy Scout leader. With his wife, Woody supported, the Greensboro Opera Company, the Greensboro Symphony, the Choral Arts Society and the Carolina Theater.
Woody was passionate about golf for his entire life and continued to walk the course at the Cardinal Country Club and carry his own bag until the age of 94. Over the span of his golfing life, he shot 8 holes in one including one at the Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey, which is considered the hardest and best golf course in the world.
He was a dedicated vegetable gardener and orchid enthusiast. He was a voracious reader with an interest in business, politics, and history, as well as novels of mystery and intrigue.
Woody was a devoted husband to Alice Wilson for 76 years and a wonderful father to Betty Jo (BJ), Kathy, David and Carol. He was a role model for thrift, self-reliance, hard work and integrity.
Woody is survived by his wife, Alice, his children BJ (Frank McClanahan), Kathy (Paul Wetenhall), David (Sue Blaauw Pearce), Carol (Bill Barto) and nine grandchildren: Will and George McClanahan (Blaire); Sarah and John Wetenhall; Emily and Thomas Pearce; and Thomas, Eleanor, and David Barto (Lucia Chambi).
Memorial contributions may be made to the Bass Trombone Chair at the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, the Scholarship Fund at Eastern Music Festival, or the UNC-G School of Music Jazz and Opera Endowment.
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