William H. Woodwell

WILLIAM H. WOODWELL William H. Woodwell, 82, of Ligonier, died Wednesday, June 1, 2011, at his home. He was born Oct. 29, 1928, in Pittsburgh, a son of the late John Knowles and Alice Herron Woodwell. In addition to his parents, Mr. Woodwell was preceded in death by his brother, John Knowles Woodwell Jr. Mr. Woodwell grew up on Lang Avenue in the Point Breeze area of Pittsburgh. He attended Shadyside Academy in Pittsburgh and the Salisbury School in Salisbury, Conn. After graduating from Brown University in Providence, R.I., in 1951, Mr. Woodwell served in the Air Force as a lieutenant during the Korean War. He was a teacher at the Salisbury School and did graduate work at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., before returning to Pittsburgh to start a career in banking and investment services. In the late 1950s, he took a job with the Commonwealth Trust Company, a Pittsburgh bank that was founded by his grandfather, William Anderson Herron. After Commonwealth Trust merged with Union National Bank in 1962, Mr. Woodwell continued working in the trust management and investment areas, serving as vice president until 1985. At that time, he joined the Pittsburgh investment advisory firm Henry H. Armstrong Associates, where he worked until his retirement in 1991. Mr. Woodwell served on the boards of the Edgewater Corporation, the Visiting Nurses Association, the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, Canterbury Place, the Fort Ligonier Association, Homewood Cemetery and Solid Comfort Fishing Club. In addition, he was a longtime board member of the Pittsburgh Association for the Improvement of the Poor (now Family Resources), which was co-founded by his great grandmother, Louisa Herron. Mr. Woodwell also served on the vestry and as senior warden of the Church of the Redeemer in Pittsburgh and on the Chapter of Trinity Cathedral in Pittsburgh. In 1960, Mr. Woodwell married Margot Bell, of Pittsburgh. They lived in Point Breeze and Squirrel Hill until moving to Ligonier in 1994. Mr. and Mrs. Woodwell also have a home in Vero Beach, Fla., and they spend time each summer at the Solid Comfort Fishing Club on the French River in Ontario, Canada. In addition to his wife, Mr. Woodwell is survived by three sons, Davitt B. Woodwell, of Pittsburgh (married to Tishie Worley Woodwell), William H. Woodwell Jr., of Maurertown, Va., (married to Kimberly Brown Woodwell) and James Ross Woodwell, of Washington, D.C., (married to Melinda Pierce Woodwell). He also is survived by six grandchildren, James Riley Woodwell, Johanna Herron Woodwell, Elizabeth Brook Woodwell, Dean Allen Woodwell, Margaret Herron Woodwell and Elliot Herron Woodwell. Mr. Woodwell was a member of St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Ligonier. He also was a member of the Solid Comfort Fishing Club, Rolling Rock Club and the Moorings Club in Vero Beach, Fla. Mr. Woodwell's family will receive friends from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the J. PAUL MCCRACKEN FUNERAL HOME, 144 E. Main St., Ligonier. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Rector with the Rev. Dr. James B. Simons. Memorial contributions may be made to the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, 201 N. Bellefield Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Paid Obituary