Sherron Henton Woodruff

Sherron H. Woodruff was born September 14, 1934 in Bluebell, Utah to George Thompson and Chloie Cook Woodruff. Many people don’t know him by anything but Woody. He was the 9th of 13 children. His parents had not chosen a name for him yet, so he was named after the midwife who helped him be born into this world.

He learned to swim early in his life by his brothers throwing him in Stansbury Lake telling him to “sink or swim”. He later became a super strong swimmer and was on the swim team for Tooele High. He set many records that stood for years.

He joined the Navy when he was 17. His older brother forged his father’s name so he could enlist. Just before he was deployed, he and a friend went to a Stake dance where he met the love of his life, Janet Black. She was only 13 at the time. They wrote letters back and forth to each other for 4 years. When he returned from the service, he asked her to marry him. She was 17 and he was 21. Her mother was very unhappy about this so they decided to elope. They drove to Elko, Nevada and were married on June 8, 1956. They later were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple in March of 1961.

They were blessed with five wonderful children. Lurlene (LeFevre), Donald Gene, Robert Morley, Mark Thompson and Julie (McPhee). He was a merciless tease and tickler, and a constant whistler. He was a fun-loving dad and grandpa.

They lived in the 25th Ward of Pioneer Stake for 9 years. They then moved to Poplar Grove Ward of Pioneer Stake for more than 50 years.
He worked for Kennecott for a few years, but because of a strike he went to school and learned about radios and ended up working many years for Hill Air Force Base as a Missile Technician. We didn’t know much about his job because everything was Top Secret. While he worked there he got his toe crushed and had to have a Teflon bone in his foot which caused him to quit bowling (which he loved and was very good at).

His job often took him away from his family to go T.D.Y., which means temporary duty yonder. This took him to different Military bases across the United States. A few times we got to go with him. We lived in South Dakota and North Dakota for a little while.

One day our mom got a call from my dad at work, there had been an explosion caused by moving empty Lithium batteries. We later found out that he had put his own life at risk and went in with a Scott Air Pack and pulled two men to safety. One man later passed away. He was given the Medal of Valor for his actions.

He retired from Hill Air Force Base at age 55 and began helping at Backman Elementary where our mom was the Secretary. He began substituting in classes and also taught P.E. He also taught P.E. at Riley Elementary. He also taught First Aid and CPR.

He was a great fan of John Wayne, and he often took us to the drive-in to watch his movies. He had quite a collection of memorabilia that many people would get for him as gifts. John Wayne had a saying that dad lived by: “Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. A man’s got to have a code, a creed to live by, and family is mine.”

He also had a collection of Hawaiian shirts which began when Julie moved to Hawaii in 1994. He was known for his brightly colored shirts, and he enjoyed the attention and compliments he got when he wore them.

He had many church callings including Bishop, Counselor in two other Bishoprics, High Council, Ward and Stake Clerk, and of course Stake basketball referee and softball umpire. The Harold B. Lee Hall was a second home to him. He was also a part time custodian for the Pioneer Stake, and he set up for many activities, often by himself. He also locked up the Church at night and on the weekends. The boys often went with him and had great adventures going through the church with no lights on. He went to many Boy Scout camps, Young Women camps, and was the greatest helper ever. He and mom also worked many years in the Salt Lake Temple.

Our parents taught us to have integrity and to be hard workers. People knew they could always count on Woody. He was a great journal keeper and also loved genealogy. His handwriting was impeccable, and he took pride in handwriting minutes from different church meetings, Church records, and genealogy. He never would switch over to the computer to do these things though he was also an excellent typist.
Mom had a stroke in 2016 and needed a lot of help, and he was a great helper to her. They needed to move to a place with more help than he and the family could give so they sold their beloved home and moved to Cottonwood Creek Living Assistance Center.

Mom and Dad celebrated their 64th Anniversary before mom had another stroke and COVID before she passed away in 2021. Dad continued living there where he got great care from the staff there. We appreciate their kindness, help and love and help over the years they were there. We also appreciate Hali and the staff at Renew Hospice at the last part of his life.

He is survived by many family members. His children Lurlene, Donald, Robert (Susan), Mark (Jenn), Julie (Kevin). Also many loving nieces and nephews. He had 20 grandchildren and 33 great grandchildren and one more coming. He is also survived by one sister, Marie and one brother, Darwin (Marty). He is preceded in death by his sweetheart, Janet, 10 brothers and sisters, son-in-law Art LeFevre, granddaughter Jaelin, and grandson, Matthew.

He was loved by all who met him, and he will be greatly missed by all.

The Navy has a saying that applies here… “Fair winds and following seas, shipmate. We have the watch, you stand relieved.” See you dad in the eternities. We all love you.

Funeral services will be held Monday, July 22, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at the Poplar Grove Ward, 1401 West 700 South, Salt Lake City, where friends and family may visit Sunday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. or Monday morning from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. prior to the service. Interment will follow at Valley View Memorial Park, 4335 West 4100 South, West Valley City.

To view the recorded service, please click the Watch Service button above.

In Lieu of flowers please feel free to donate to the LDS Philanthropy Fund or to any charity of your choice.