G. Woodrow “Woody” Floyd
March 25, 1929 - June 07, 2011
- Share:
G. Woodrow “Woody” Floyd
March 25, 1929 - June 07, 2011
Obituary
G. Woodrow ‘Woody’ Floyd, 82, of Laguna Woods, died June 7, 2011 after suffering from Alzheimer’s.
Our loving father, Woody, is survived by his children Annamay, Kevin, Dana, Diana, and Kirk; 15 grandchildren, 1 great-grandchild; his devoted sister Edie; and numerous nieces and nephews. Woody is predeceased by his wife, the love of his life, Marilyn and his eldest son, Kenny.
Woody was born March 25, 1929 in St. Louis, MO. and raised in Aurora, CO. He graduated UC Boulder with honors, then received his Masters in Engineering from UCLA. He worked passionately in this field before retiring from Remex after 34 years. A long time Laguna Hills resident, Woody enjoyed golfing and bowling.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, June 14th at 1pm at O’Connor Laguna Hills Mortuary. Graveside service at El Toro Memorial Park immediately following.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, curealzfund.org.
The service will be broadcast live and will be available for viewing for 90 days at http://www.eventbywire.com/viewevent/?id=443-098
17 responses to G. Woodrow “Woody” Floyd
VICKIE L YSACOFF says:
June 11, 2011
Uncle Woody was always so kind and caring. I will miss him very much!
Anonymous says:
June 11, 2011
Tidbits from Woody Floyd’s Wonderful Life
This was printed in a Newsletter at the Memory Care Home he resided at in Idaho
Woody came into this wonderful world on March 25, 1929 on the eve of the Depression that swept through America. He was raised in Colorado along with his older brother, Walter and younger sister, Edie. A funny story from his childhood was one day his Mother sent him to the store for bread and eggs. On the way home, he was overwhelmed by the smell of the fresh bread that he had to taste it. He very carefully opened the end of the loaf and scooped out a taste of the warm bread inside. It tasted so good that he took another taste and another, each time putting the end of the loaf back in place. When he finally reached home, his Mother thanked him for going to the store and put the groceries away. At dinner that night, she took the bread out, cut it open and all there was was a crusty shell of a loaf of bread. Maybe that is why we always had bread or toast on the dinner table every night.
Upon graduating from University of Colorado at Boulder, Woody moved to Southern California to work with Hughes Corporation as an electrical/mechanical engineer. He was at the beginning development of the computer generation in the early 50’s. He had married May Francis while in college, started a family and produced three children, Kenny, Annamay and Kevin.
He divorced in the early 60’s but remained very close to his children taking them on family vacations, weekend outings etc. One time he brought us to his office and he explained to us this huge machine that took up whole room was a computer. Within a few years that huge machine became a hand held calculator. Woody holds many patents, one of them
being the invention of the wax milk carton with the fold and pour top that is still used today.
Through work, Woody met his true love, Marilyn. They married in the mid-60’s and immediately we became a large family as Marilyn had two young daughters, Dana and Diana. After a few years, Woody & Marilyn wanted to expand our family and made it a true “Yours, Mine & Ours” name of a popular movie back then, with the arrival of Kirk! As you can imagine, there are numerous stories that a family of eight experienced. As kids, we were blessed with loving parents, a warm household, supportive siblings, and never ending laughter. We were very involved in Church outings, not just on Sundays. We were raised with good family values due to the love of a wonderful father and mother. Games were a big part of our family get-togethers; from cribbage to board games, from bowling to golf, from swimming to just relaxing in the hot tub we were together as a family. Daddy’s favorite holiday is Christmas and for years he would wear his red vest every day from December 1 through New Years to celebrate the season.
Unfortunately, Woody lost his oldest son, Kenny, in a motorcycle accident in 1981. As you can imagine, this was a devastating loss to the entire family and it was very hard for all of us to adjust afterwards. We all miss Kenny but we were blessed to have him as a part of our family.
Woody and Marilyn lived and raised their family in Southern California. When Daddy retired in the 80’s, they moved to Palm Desert, California. For awhile, they lived right on a golf course, much to my Dad’s delight! When us kids started marrying and having kids of our own, Daddy, now Papa Woody, realized their little condo on the golf course was not big enough for visitors. So they stayed in Palm Desert but moved into a lovely home that was dedicated to their grandchildren. They celebrate 10 grand kids at that time, but now have a total of 15. Swimming pool, play room, lots of toys, a park down the street…a kid’s paradise! In the mid 90’s with the realization that they were a bit too far away physically, from everyone, they moved back to Leisure World. This was a more central location for all the kids and grand kids to come visit. And visit we di
Edie Chappell says:
June 12, 2011
To my big brother Woody,
You were not only a dear brother, but also a dear friend. You taught me many things: the importance of fair play, how to put a jigsaw puzzle together edge pieces first, how not to annoy your brother when he is painting the house, how to change a bicycle tire inclding patching the inner tube, how to adjust the seat and handle bars on a bicycle, how to set goals and reach them although it may take years, and how hard it is to win any game when you are playing against an older brother.
Altough we raised our families half-way across the country from each other, it was always a special occasion for my children when Uncle Woody was stopping to see us during his business trips.
After we each lost our soul mates, we took time to be together; spring in California, fall in the Midwest. I’m so thankful for those fun memories. Say hello to our brother Walt, our dear mother, your true love Marilyn, my beloved John, and all the rest of the familiy. See you in a few years!
Love,
Your little sister, Edie
LARRY WEINBERGER says:
June 12, 2011
Gonna miss you, Woody
John Chappell says:
June 13, 2011
Even as an adult, I retained my fond memories of Uncle Woody from childhood. He was a wonderful uncle, and I treasured his visits with our family in Illinois.
I remember thinking how tall he was. As my brother Gary noted, Woody gave great hugs. He spoke quietly, and thoughtfully. I always wanted to hear what he had to say. He had a warm, engaging smile. Most surprising, given his quiet demeanor, was his hearty laughter, which invariably made me laugh, too.
Even as a kid, I understood that he and mom shared a special sibling bond. It was enjoyable to watch them interact and show their affection for one another.
When we visited our California cousins in 1978, I remember a little trick that Woody taught me. He said it helped him relax before going to bed. First, he told me to sit in the hot tub until I was sweating profusely. Then, he instructed me to immediately dive into the swimming pool and swim one lap. He said it never failed to make him feel completely refreshed and relaxed. Perhaps it was the power of his suggestion, but it worked for me!
I know Woody was a loving parent and husband. And for me, he was always a loving uncle. I will miss him, but always cherish the time I shared with him over the years.