WILLIAM WRIGHT WOODRUFF

WOODRUFF WILLIAM WRIGHT WOODRUFF "Woody" Of Alexandria, VA, age 91, died on January 1, 2016. Mr. Woodruff was a former Assistant Secretary of the United States Air Force, a military veteran, civil servant and a corporate executive. Mr. Woodruff was a resident of Mount Vernon, VA for more than 50 years before relocating to Greensprings Village in Springfield, VA, where he died of natural causes. He was married for 56 years to the former Mildred Ardelia Comer of Lawrenceburg, TN, who died in 2007. At an early age, Mr. Woodruff moved with his family from his birthplace in McDonough, GA to Lawrenceburg, TN. In 1943, immediately upon his graduation from Lawrence County High School, he was inducted into the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was among the first group of eighteen year-olds in the nation drafted into military service. Mr. Woodruff was assigned to Glaser''s B-24 Liberator Crew as a radio operator and completed 34 combat missions over Germany. He retained his interest in aviation through retirement. After his military service, Mr. Woodruff earned his bachelor''s degree from Middle Tennessee State College in 1948. He continued his education by obtaining his law degree from Vanderbilt University in 1950. Mr. Woodruff practiced law briefly with the firm of Locke and Holsford in Lawrenceburg, TN before he was appointed by Sen. Kenneth McKellar (TN) to the staff of the Secretary of the United States Senate in 1950. Beginning in 1961, he joined the staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he served until 1973, retiring as Counsel to the Committee. In March of that year, he was confirmed as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management, and in 1975, received the Air Force Exceptional Civilian Award, the highest award conferred upon Air Force civilian employees. He then worked for Hughes Aircraft Corporation for the next 14 years, retiring in 1989. Mr. Woodruff became an early member of the Aldersgate United Methodist Church in 1965 and continued his affiliation with the congregation until his death. He was an avid golfer and joined the Belle Haven Country Club in Alexandria in 1956. Mr. Woodruff enjoyed reading books on military and political history. In addition to his late wife, he was also predeceased by his two brothers, Idus (Ike) M. Woodruff and James (Red) Nicholas Woodruff. Survivors include Kimberley Woodruff Engle and her husband Mark Engle of Alexandria and numerous nieces and nephews in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. A memorial service for Mr. Woodruff will be held on Thursday, January 14, 2016 at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 1301 Collingwood Road, Alexandria, VA at 1 p.m. A reception at the church will immediately follow the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 1301 Collingwood Road, Alexandria, VA 22308 or to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 1800 M Street, NW, Suite 850 North, Washington, DC 20036.