Robert Thomas Woodruff

Robert Thomas Woodruff

AGE: 89 • Bridgewater

Robert T. Woodruff, retired Administrative Law Judge with the Newark, NJ office of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, died Friday, April 8. He had been a resident of Bridgewater, NJ for the past 36 years. April 11th would have been his 90th birthday. The son of LeRoy and Hilda (nee Lange) Woodruff, he was born in Bridgeton, NJ. He graduated from Bridgeton High School in 1939, and Syracuse University in 1949 where he was a pre-med student, and a member of the social fraternity Sigma Nu. He received his Doctorate of Law from Cornell University in 1952. He leaves behind his wife of 44 years, Gerlinde (nee Abendroth), originally of Waiblingen, Germany. Mr. Woodruff was especially proud of his service as quartermaster in the United States Navy from 1942 - 1946, much of the time aboard the destroyer U.S.S. LST 1129, part of the Pacific Fleet. He would tell how a late train caused him to miss his assigned ship, later sunk by enemy fire; also, how his life was saved, as were many others, by the dropping of the atomic bomb. For him it meant he and his shipmates didn't have to carry out their assigned "suicide" mission - the storming of Japan's beaches by landing craft. In addition to his 32 years as an administrative law judge, serving in Omaha, NE and Newark, Mr. Woodruff also had a distinguished career as a trial lawyer with the Interstate Commerce Commission, and as an assistant United States Attorney in Camden, NJ. He clerked with Judge Vincent Haneman, Atlantic City, and Judge David Horuvitz, Bridgeton, NJ. An avid Phillies' and Eagles' fan, he followed his teams closely all his life, attending many of their games, as well as the Phillies' spring training camp, and the National Football League Draft. Mr. Woodruff was recognized for his concern for social justice, and his interest in politics. An avid reader and polished writer, he took a strong stand against the war in Vietnam, and championed the 1960 civil rights movement. He loved animals. There was rarely a time when a favorite cat or dog wasn't by his side.

In addition to his wife, survivors include their two children: Jason Leroy Gustav Woodruff of Bangor Maine, and his wife Leola (nee Mott), and their children, Lucas Robert and Abagail Gerlinde; and Christine Hilda Erika Woodruff of Hillsboro, NJ, and her partner, Robert Groelly. He is also survived by his brother, Richard F. Woodruff and his wife Elaine (nee Anderson) of Cape May Court House, NJ; his sister Jane Woodruff Carroll and her husband J. Benjamin of Cazenovia, NY; his sister Sally Woodruff Garrison and her husband John, of Roadstown, NJ; his mother-in- law, Erika Abendroth, of Waiblingen Germany, and a brother-in-law, Wolfgang Abendroth and sister-in-law Jeannette Abendroth of Germany, as well as five nephews and three nieces.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend Mr. Woodruff's viewing and funeral on Wednesday, April 13,11 at the Bridgewater Funeral Home, 707 East Main Street, Bridgewater, NJ 08807. The viewing will be at 1:00 p.m., followed by a 2:00 p.m. funeral service. Cremation will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Community Visiting Nurse and Community Care Hospice Association, 110 West End Avenue, Somerville, NJ 08876. Written condolences and tributes may be expressed to the family using the funeral home website: www.bridgewaterfuneralhome.com.