Richard “Dick” F. Woodruff, died Wednesday afternoon December 7, 2022 at Friends Home in Woodstown where he had resided for four years. As a combat veteran of WW II, it is fitting that he passed on Pearl Harbor Day. He was 97 years old.
Dick was a quiet person whose carefully selected words and kind demeanor won the respect of many. Those who knew him professionally, as well as friends and family, saw him as exceptionally intelligent and a good man – with a winning smile that won many friends.
He also was a measured man, carefully plotting out his days, creating board games in his youth, taking pride in the exactness of his figures and surroundings. Years ago, from time to time, he could be found at the Delaware or Atlantic City Racetrack testing his calculations, slide rule in hand. At home, he continued his interest in racehorses well into his eighties – without a dollar at stake. And, until recently, he faithfully followed and calculated the stock market as well as any broker.
The son of LeRoy and Hilda (nee Lange) Woodruff, Dick was born in Bridgeton in 1925. A graduate of Bridgeton High School with the Class of 1943, he was often on the highest honor roll; at graduation, he was the recipient of the Rensselaer (Polytechnic Institute) Award for Math and Science.
Following graduation, Dick immediately enlisted in the service, as many of his classmates did at this time of war. As a member of the Second Infantry Division, he participated in the Normandy Invasion (D+1). After crossing France, the Second Division helped prevent Germany from advancing further in what would become known as the Battle of the Bulge. Eventually, the Division crossed Germany into the present-day Czech Republic, earning the moniker “The Liberating Division” by the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC for helping free the many interned in concentration camps.
Dick graduated from Syracuse University with a chemistry degree. For more than 30 years, he was employed by The Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) in one of their laboratories. Even on the coldest days, he habitually walked the mile plus from his home to the Clinic and back.
Dick and his wife, Elaine Andersen Woodruff. enjoyed visiting her large family in Moose Lake, MN and returned annually to their summer home in Marmora. After Dick’s retirement, they purchased a home in Cape May Court House where they remained until Elaine’s passing. They were active in The First United Methodist Church of CMCH and enjoyed their membership in the Ocean City Shuffleboard Club and evenings of cards with friends. Later Dick moved near his sister Sally Woodruff Garrison in Hopewell Township.
In addition to his parents and wife, Dick was predeceased by his brother, Judge Robert T. Woodruff, who had been a resident of Bridgewater.
Dick is survived by his sisters Jane Woodruff Carroll of Cazenovia, NY and Sally Garrison; his sister-in- law, Gerlinde Abendroth Woodruff of Manchester, ME; his brothers-in-law, John Benjamin Carroll of Cazenovia, NY and John Raymond Garrison of Hopewell Township, as well as numerous nieces and nephews – all who loved their Uncle Dick.
His steady presence and gentle, unassuming ways are greatly missed.
A memorial service is planned for May.
Contributions in Dick’s memory can be sent to Fund for Syracuse, Syracuse University, 640 Skytop Road, Room 240, Syracuse, NY 13244-5160 or Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301.