Leon P. Woods

Dr. Leon P. Woods, Jr., 78, died Sunday, January 2, 2011, in Fort Smith. He was born September 11, 1932, in Muskogee, Oklahoma, to Leon Perry Woods and Mary Evelyn Ruble Woods. He grew up in Tahlequah, OK, where his father taught math and served as dean of men at Northeastern State University. He met the love of his life in eighth grade, Mary Ann Daniel, to whom he was married 56 years.

Dr. Woods graduated from Northeastern State University in 1953 and the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine in 1956, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honorary Society. He served from 1956 to 1959 in the United States Public Health Service, including an internship at the Marine Hospital in San Francisco and service at the Indian Hospital in Claremore, OK, with the rank of Senior Assistant Surgeon. He began his surgical residency in Denver, CO, and then completed surgical training as Chief Resident in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 1964. From 1964 to 1966, he served as Chief of General Surgery at Durham, NC, Veterans Hospital and as Assistant Professor of Surgery at Duke University School of Medicine.

In 1966, Dr. Woods joined the Holt Krock Clinic in Fort Smith, where he practiced thoracic and cardiovascular surgery until retirement in 1992 and participated in the development of the cardiac surgery program at Sparks Regional Medical Center. He was certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and was a member of the American College of Surgeons, Western Surgical Association, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, American Medical Association, and Arkansas Medical Association.

Dr. Woods was a member of First United Methodist Church and the Discussion Class. He enjoyed giving back to the community during his retirement, teaching English as a second language for the Fort Smith Literacy Council, serving as an AARP tax aide, and lecturing on operating room procedures for the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith College of Health Sciences. He served on the boards of First United Methodist Church, Fort Smith Little Theatre, Fort Smith CrimeStoppers, Friends of the Fort Smith Public Library, and Northeastern State University Foundation. Dr. Woods had many hobbies through which he produced gifts for friends and family, including rose gardening, stained glass, photography, and beekeeping. He enjoyed fishing and playing trumpet with the Western Arkansas Community Band. He will be remembered for his qualities of patience, generosity, friendliness and wit.

He is survived by his wife, Ann, of the home; daughter, Nancy Woods Long Moon of Fort Smith; daughter, Julie Woods Moncrief and husband, David, of Fort Smith; daughter, Evelyn Woods McDonald and husband, Jud, of Denver, CO; and son, James Perry Woods of Atlanta, GA; seven grandchildren, Melia Digby, Lindsay Jeffcoat, Sean Woods, Lily Moncrief, Ellen Moncrief, Miles McDonald and Owen McDonald, four great-grandchildren and several cousins. He leaves behind extended family, cherished colleagues, and dear friends.

Services will be held on Wednesday, January 5, at 10 a.m. at First United Methodist Church with the Rev. David Orr officiating. Visitation will follow in the church’s narthex. Graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, at Tahlequah Cemetery under the direction of Edwards Funeral Home.

Honorary pallbearers will be members of the Discussion Class of First United Methodist Church and of the Sebastian County Medical Society.

Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church, 200 North 15th St., Fort Smith, AR, 72901; Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, AR, 72903; or the Good Samaritan Clinic, 615 North B St., Fort Smith, AR, 72901.

Online condolences may be sent to: www.edwardsfuneralhome.com