Ridgway Deacon Woodward, Jr

rn Ridgway Deacon Woodward, Jr of Delran passed away Friday, December 14, 2012 at home with family in La Mesa, CA. He was 87. Woody was born August 31, 1925 in Mt Holly, son of the late Ridgway and Rebecca (DeCou) Woodward. He enlisted at 17 in the US Navy, served as an aviation ordinanceman aboard the USS Huntington, and played outfield for the Navy baseball team in Hyannis, MA. After his discharge he continued to play minor league ball for farm teams for the Philadelphia Athletics in Moultrie, GA and Red Springs, NC. He returned home to Mt Holly to work for NJ Bell Telephone as an equipment engineer and space planner, and retired from Verizon after 41 years of service. He loved sports, especially the Phillies, though later in life his favorite teams were those on which his grandchildren and their friends were competing. Woody was previously a member of The Holy Name Society and an extraordinary minister at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Riverside. He enjoyed working on parish committees and the yearly Carnival. After retirement, he split his time with children and grandchildren in Southern California and in South Jersey. He enjoyed good wine, travel, golf, and Jersey produce. He always had a warm smile and a kind word. rnWoody was preceded in death by his wife Patricia (Fairbrother) Woodward for whom he lovingly cared through the end stages of Alzheimer’s. He is survived by his brother Maurice (Dolores), and his sister Irene Budd, his sons Stephen (Beth), David (Peggy), and William Woodward, and daughters Ann (Steve) Funk, and Patricia (Dennis) Cottrell and by his 10 grandchildren Zachary Sabo, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Catherine, Pamela, Maxwell,and Caitlin Woodward, Lora Funk, Matthew and Jeremy Cottrell. rnFriends are welcome to visit with the family on Friday, December 28, 2012 at 9:30am at Jesus the Good Shepherd Church (St Peter’s site) in Riverside, where Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10:30. Interment will follow at St Peter’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to The Alzheimer Association PO Box 96011 Washington DC 20090-6011 or The Moorestown Visiting Nurses Association, 300 Haper Drive Moorestown, NJ 08057rn