Don Woods

Donald Eugene Woods, 89, of Carmichael, California, passed away peacefully in his home Monday, November 21st, surrounded by his family. Don was born April 29, 1933, in Los Angeles, California, the second child of Merrill and Dorothy (Ferguson) Woods.

Don was a sixth generation Californian whose rich family history stems from the Dominguez and De la Guerra families of Santa Barbara in the late 1700's, long before California became a state. Growing up in Los Angeles he attended Dalia Heights Elementary School and Eagle Rock High School where he graduated early at 16 years old. He then attended John Muir Junior College in Pasadena, where he was president of his senior class, then finally graduating from UCLA where he was a proud member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.

His professional career took him and his family to many places. He started his career in management at General Telephone (now AT&T) in Los Angeles before making the decision to join the Peace Corps. Traveling first to Bogota, Colombia to learn Spanish, he then spent two years in Quito, Ecuador as the Assistant Director of the Peace Corps before finally serving as Director of the Peace Corps for the country of El Salvador. Moving back to the Los Angeles area for a few years afterwards, he moved his family again to Lyons, Colorado where he co-owned and managed the St. Vrain Market with brother-in-law Tony McGuffin and father-in-law Paul Custer. Moving back to California in the early 1990's, Don spent the rest of his life in the Sacramento area working in various financial industries. After his unofficial retirement he explored other avenues.He was sworn in as an officer for the West Sacramento Police Department and worked security at Raley Field, home of the Sacramento River Cats.He also worked as a driving instructor and a limousine driver and really enjoyed both.He finally hung up his various hats and decided to officially retire in 2008.

It was while working at General Telephone that he became smitten by a cute, young customer service representative named Paulette Frances Custer whom he would marry on May 5, 1962. Don and Paulette raised two children, Peter Allan Woods of Caledonia, Michigan and Katherine Marie Woods of Sacramento. He was preceded in death by his parents, sister-in-law Carol Gray and his sister Marilyn 'Dee Dee' Drummond who passed away earlier this year on Mother's Day. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, his children Peter and Katherine, daughter-in-law Sherri, grandchildren Kendra Marie Woods, of Carmichael, Tristan Chandler Woods of Kentwood, Michigan, Taylor Renae Parker (Nathan) of Lansing, Michigan, Turner Jayden Woods of Caledonia, Michigan, one great-grandchild Bishop Early Huntsberry of Carmichael and brother-in-law James 'Jim' Drummond of Culver City, California. Together Don and Jim were the patriarchs of the Woods and Drummond clans.But Don also became the patriarch of Paulette's family and will be dearly missed by his sister-in-law Kristie McGuffin (Tony), sister-in-law Linda Mieczkowski (Frank) and brother-in-law Scott Custer (Kerri).And many nieces, nephews and countless cousins on both sides of the family.

Don was a longtime member of Spiritual Life Center of Sacramento. He was very active there, serving as a prayer chaplain and serving on the tithing committee for many years. His sense of humor and lightning quick wit made him the life of the party wherever he went. He loved martinis, dirty jokes and songs, playing cards, watching sports, discussing politics and his beloved UCLA Bruins. He leaves behind a legacy of love, confirmed by the many friends he made over his lifetime.

A celebration of life service will take place at 1:30pm on Saturday, January 14th, 2023 at River City Christian Church located at 10933 Progress Ct, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670, followed by a short reception. Family and friends are welcome to attend and share in his memory. Donations can be made in his memory to the Women's Empowerment of Sacramento, https://womens-empowerment.org.