Rex Marvin Woodruff

1926 - 2017

1926 ~ 2017
Rex Woodruff, 90, passed away Friday evening, September 29, 2017. He left this mortal life peacefully in his sleep of natural causes in South Jordan, Utah. Rex was born November 20, 1926 in Flagstaff, Arizona to Herbert Orin Woodruff and Mildred Dora Wyant Wooduff. He was the third son in a family of 5 children and is survived by his brother Delbert (Alta) Woodruff of Chatsworth, California. --- His younger years were spent in school and working in the printing or publishing business with his family. They owned and published small country weekly newspapers in Kansas, the Texas Panhandle and Eastern Colorado before moving to Pasadena, California in 1939. --- In 1944, Rex completed his training in the U.S. Maritime Service at Catalina Island and sailed the North and Central Pacific as a seaman in the Merchant Marines until 1947. He then served in the U.S. Army in 1948 as a printer and again in 1950 in Korea as an Army Map Printer. --- Rex met his future wife, Shirley Jean Butler (a Salt Lake native), in the Los Angeles area in 1952. They were married on June 5, 1953, in the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and sealed for eternity. After returning to California for the first years of marriage and the birth of their first son, Rex and Shirley moved to Salt Lake City to continue in the printing industry he knew well from his family in California. --- Once he started his own business in 1956, it continued to grow over 47 years as Woodruff Printing Company with his wife and all of their children (7) having various opportunities to work in the business. Rex was active in the South Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce and the board of the Printing Industries of Utah. He served as president of the PIU in 1964. He was inducted into the Utah Printers Hall of Fame in 2011. He took the opportunity to learn all he could about printing and attended many seminars and conventions. Whatever he learned, he shared with younger people in the printing industry. --- During this time, Rex remained faithful in his duties as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in various callings including Elders Quorum President, teacher, counselor, financial clerk, membership clerk and executive secretary. He had a strong testimony of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and shared it with others. With his wife, Shirley, he served LDS Church missions in California, New York, and Toronto, and later as hosting missionaries on Temple Square and at the LDS Conference Center. --- In addition, Rex gave much of his time to raise and mentor his 7 children and take the family on vacations and adventures throughout the west. His joy for life, his caring ways and his ability to tell a story and teach a concept will be missed by all. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers - Rod, Hugh, Norman and sister Pat. Rex leaves behind the love of his life and his wife of 64 years, Shirley Butler Woodruff. He will be greatly missed by his seven children, Mark (Jolene Rosvall); Lon (Liliana Camino); Brent (Rebecca Poll); Duane, (Angela Feveryear); Cheryl (Phillip Clark); Janette (Scott Peterson); Richard (Alicia Hall ). He is also survived by 29 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. --- A special thanks to the administration, staff and volunteers at the Legacy House Retirement Center who watched over Rex and Shirley this past year to make their living arrangements more comfortable.
Family and friends can pay their respects on Friday, October 6, 2017 from 5 pm to 8 pm and also on Saturday morning October 7th from 10 am to 10:45 am. The funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 7th at 11 am to approx. 12:30 pm.
All events will be held at the Jenkins-Soffe South Valley Funeral Home at 1007 W South Jordan Parkway, approx. 10600 South. (due to construction on South Jordan Parkway, it is recommended if you are driving west that you proceed to the light at 1055 W, turn south, then turn east on 10550 South to reach the parking lot.) Interment will be at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, 3401 South Highland Drive in Holladay at 1:30 p.m. that same day. Online condolences may be shared at www.jenkins-soffe.com.