Ralph B. "Skeets" Woodbury

VERO BEACH, Fla. and QUEENSBURY The family of Ralph B. "Skeets" Woodbury is saddened to announce his passing. Skeets died on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007, at the age of 72 at his home in Vero Beach, Fla. He was born on May 10, 1935, in Albany, N.Y., the son of Harriet and Ralph E. Woodbury. Skeets grew up and lived most of his life in the Glens Falls, N.Y. area. He graduated from the New York State Military Academy in Cornwall in 1953 and from Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vt., in 1957. He enjoyed attending his 50th reunion this past June. While at college, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity; he played four years of varsity basketball and announced games for the hockey team with humor and flair. He remained in touch with his many Middlebury friends throughout his lifetime. As a youth, Skeets spent numerous summers as a camper and counselor at Camp Timlo on Trout Lake, he was an avid athlete, excelling at speed skating, tennis, football and basketball. He later went on to be the proud sponsor of the Glens Falls minor league baseball team, the Woodbury Lumberjacks. At the age of 12, he operated his first successful business, Skeets' Popcorn Stand, located on Glen Street, in front of the original Woodbury Lumber Yard. Skeets' professional career was spent in the lumber and housing industries. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Skeets and brother, Michael, owned and operated C.G. Woodbury & Son, a chain of Glens Falls-based lumberyards. Together, they also managed its subsidiaries, the Diamond Point Lumber Company, Harvest Homes and the Woodbury Development Group. Skeets was a member of Christ Church United Methodist, Glens Falls, N.Y., Hawk's Nest Golf Club in Vero Beach, Fla., and the Glens Falls Country Club, Queensbury, N.Y., where he coordinated the American Cancer Golf Tournament for more than 25 years. He was a longtime friend of Bill W. After living in Glens Falls and Queensbury, he and his wife, Janice, retired to Lake George and Vero Beach, Fla., where they spent many years enjoying family and friends. Skeets was an avid golfer, sports buff, card player and reader. He was also a lover of jazz and classical music. He served on the board of the Lake Luzerne Music Festival for several years. Mr. Woodbury was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Clayton G. and Mary Thomson Woodbury, his parents, Harriet N. and Ralph E. Woodbury and paternal aunt, Marjorie Woodbury Foss. Survivors include his wife of 43 years, Janice Cole Woodbury, his three children: Elizabeth Grace Woodbury Kasius and husband, Andrew, of Troy, N.Y., Douglas Nesbitt Woodbury of Los Angeles, Calif., and Alexander Ralph Woodbury and wife, Allison Ameele Woodbury, of Denver, Colo. He is also survived by the newest member of the Woodbury family, granddaughter Elsa Catherine of Denver, Colo. Siblings include Mary Ann Woodbury Coy and husband, Richard, of St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada, Michael G. Woodbury and wife, Ann, of Queensbury, N.Y. and Martha Jane Woodbury of Glens Falls, N.Y. He is also survived by many cousins, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. He will be dearly missed by all. A heartfelt thank you goes out to all of Skeets' friends and caregivers who were so kind and attentive to him during his illness. Calling hours will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 16 at the Singleton-Healy Funeral Home, 407 Bay Road, Queensbury. A memorial service remembering Skeets will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, at the First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls, corner of Glen Street and Notre Dame, Glens Falls. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association, the High Peaks Hospice, the North Queensbury Rescue Squad, the Pilot Knob Fire Department, the Luzerne Music Festival, Middlebury College and Christ Church United Methodist.