Born on August 3, 1949, he was christened William Woodrow, after both if his grandfathers, William Kramm and Willy Short. His middle name, Woodrow, was the maiden name of his paternal grandmother, Ethel Woodrow Kramm. They called him Billy for a while, but eventually he became, as most of us knew him, Woody. It suited him.

He always called himself “just a poor boy from Peoria.” Woody was the youngest (and the only boy, therefore the crown prince) of four siblings, his mother Rosie raised as a single Mom in the 1950s. She fostered Woody’s positive and can-do attitude, as well as his sense of humor.

Woody was always an active person. Rosie told stories about him getting up in the morning, eating a bowl of Kellogg’s Sugar Corn Pops, and then running laps around her dining room table. As he grew, he channeled his energy into swimming, daily workouts at the gym, snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking, skiing, mountain climbing, ice climbing, and later in life, his daily walks around Winslow. His favorites were the Moritani Reserve, along the waterfront, the John Nelson Trail, and Hawley Cove.

His boundless warmth of personality and ability to find humor in even the most trying situations put all who knew Woody at ease. These traits made him a natural father figure to so many, always offering a listening ear and steady guidance. But he set the gold standard as a husband to his wife, Cynthia, and as a father to his daughter, Rosemary. Nothing, however, made him happier than the arrival of his granddaughter, Catherine, who herself became enamored with her grandfather within weeks of her birth.

To be close to Woody was to be in on a conspiracy to find joy in everything, from clipping plant specimens to graft, to cooking and carving the Thanksgiving turkey. There was no occasion that didn’t call for a celebration: to get gussied for brunch and a show at the 5th Avenue; to enjoy a champagne toast and watch the Easter Parade; to hit the road for a bike ride with a friend; or cruise down Winslow Way to show off his ‘58 Chrysler.

Kind and gentle, calm and always patient, Woody was a natural teacher. During his early experiences at Sky Ranch Day Camp, Don and Jean Greenwood helped him develop his skills to the benefit of his future students of all ages and all over the world: DeKalb, Illinois; Redmond, Oregon; Bainbridge Island; Derby, England; Osaka, Japan; Jakarta, Indonesia; Rabat, Morocco; Cayman Islands; Olympic College; and later, friends from the Bainbridge Island Senior Center who were in need of tech help.

He volunteered on the island in other ways, too. For several years, Woody worked at BISC as a server at Meals on Wheels and as an organizer for the Chilly Hilly Chili Feed. He also participated in IVC, transporting people to appointments and especially loved delivering the birthday flowers.

A Trekkie and a techie, Woody loved anything sci-fi and was always an early adopter of the latest technology. At age ten, he saved up for his first transistor radio and began collecting old radios in his teens. Later, he was the first one to get a handheld calculator, a Casio watch, an Apple IIe, a Mac, an iPad, an iPhone, an Alexa dot, and Apple TV.

Woody loved every kind of music: opera; Broadway; rock & roll; country; and even schmaltzy stuff like Jerry Vale, Johnny Mathis, and Ray Conniff. He loved to dance -- country swing, bop, disco and the jitterbug. He prided himself on his ability to do the Mashed Potatoes. and taught his granddaughter Catherine how to shimmy.  One of Woody's greatest joys of the past six years was learning to play the piano, something he'd wanted to do since childhood. 

All through high school, Woody was a thespian. In DeKalb, he continued that interest as a cast member in Stage Coach Players productions and later directed plays and musicals at the schools where he taught. 

During his final year, Woody spent most of his time over in Seattle, living close to the Fred Hutch Cancer Center. So of course he explored his new environs, visiting the Arboretum and nearby museums. He became a member at MOHAI and walked there almost daily while he was able. He set a goal to walk around Lake Union, extending his distance day by day until he made it all the way around. 

That was Woody. When he set a goal for himself, he just worked at it doggedly and did not believe in giving up. But after a yearlong struggle to regain his strength following a bone marrow stem cell transplant, a massive brain bleed made it impossible for Woody to recover. On the night of March 1, 2026, his bright spirit left us.

Woody is greatly missed by so many friends, his sisters Chris Ortegel (Lufkin, TX) and Patty Haley (Pensacola, FL), and everyone else in his family, especially his daughter Rosemary, her husband Josh Farley, his granddaughter Catherine, and his partner of fifty years, Cynthia Ruptic.

In lieu of flowers, trees, or other gifts, please consider donating to one of these organizations: 

• Island Volunteer Caregivers 

• (ivcbainbridge.org)

• Bainbridge Island Senior Center (biseniorcenter.org)

• Fred Hutch Cancer Center 

• (fredhutch.org)