Thomas Woodyard's Obituary
RIVERTON, WY - Long time Riverton resident and teacher, Thomas ""Tom"" Woodyard, died at his home on Sunday, October 23, 2016. Visitation for family and friends will be held from 11:00 - Noon on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at Adams Funeral Chapel in Charleston. Following the visitation, inurnment and committal of his cremated body will be in Roselawn Cemetery with other family members who have predeceased him. Thoughtful donations in his honor may be made to the United Methodist Church of Riverton. Gifts may be left on the memorial table at the visitation or may be mailed to Adams Funeral Chapel, 2330 Shawnee Dr., Charleston, IL 61920.Thomas Henry Woodyard was born on November 15, 1929, in the family home located in Lafayette Township, Coles County, Illinois. He was the eighth of nine children born to A. Lincoln and Iva Hanna Woodyard. Thomas and all his siblings began their education in one room schools. He graduated in 1959 with a B.S. in Education from Eastern Illinois State College - now known as Eastern Illinois University. At the University of Illinois he earned a M.S. in Geography. He studied at several other universities during his teaching career. In order to get to the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, he drove the gravel AlCan Highway and camped along the way.Tom faithfully served his country in the U.S. Army at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri from 1952 - 1954 attaining the rank of Sergeant before his honorary discharge. He was a member of the American Legion Post #19 in Riverton.He spent three years in northern Arizona as a teacher and as a seasonal Park Ranger at the Grand Canyon. Moving to Riverton in 1958, he was assigned to teach a sixth grade class in the old Jefferson School and was later chosen as part of the team to open the new Jackson Elementary School. Teaching sixth graders required driving the bus to the indoor pool and dressing appropriately for instruction in the water. Several of his classes went on camping trips to the Sinks Canyon area. He taught at Jackson until his retirement.Tom moved to a small farm/ranch several miles west of town early in 1962. While there he had a small herd of cattle and raised sugar beets and alfalfa.He started square dancing as a teenager and continued dancing for many years in Riverton. He enjoyed photography and shared countless pictures with family and friends. He had a natural talent for music, played piano and guitar and was a talented cook. In addition to meal preparation, he harvested and canned fruit and made jams and jellies using produce from his parent's farm. He loved camping and hiking especially in the Tetons, and he enjoyed visiting the Fort Laramie National Historic Site and the Oregon Trail Ruts site near Guernsey, Wyoming.Tom spent many hours in the Salt Lake City library doing genealogical research with microfilm. He visited many families, courthouses, and cemeteries in Illinois to gather family data. He wrote and had printed a family book for each his father's and mother's sides of the family. He wrote numerous other books about his early years to share with younger family members. His annual update of family contact information, as well as the family calendar with dates of births, deaths, and anniversaries, helped the family stay connected. He brightened the day for many with his comic strips he knew would have special meaning.Tom attended and was a member of the Riverton United Methodist Church for many years. When poor health prevented him from attending services, he continued to work with membership lists and was involved with writing the Centennial book for the church. Tom is survived by his sister, Ruth Young and her husband Orville of East Peoria, Illinois; his sister-in-law Eleanor Woodyard of Lawrence, Kansas, thirteen nieces and nephews and several grand nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; five brothers, Charles, James, Harold, Lincoln and George; and two sisters, Mabel and Dorothy; and a grand niece. SERVICES Visitation Wednesday, November 16, 2016 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Adams Funeral Chapel 2330 SHAWNEE DR CHARLESTON, Illinois 61920
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