Edward William Woodley

Ed was born on December 6, 1925 in Benton Harbor, Michigan to Louis Guy and Louise Woodley. He passed peacefully into eternity on November 23, 2025 surrounded by family. Just 6 weeks before his death, he opened his heart and put his faith in Christ alone.

He was proud of his military service during WW2. After his discharge, he enrolled at Purdue University. He was home one day in the summer of 1949, and as he walked through the living room he found that his sister was home from her job at camp, and had brought home her friend the camp nurse. He decided almost immediately that she was the one he wanted to marry. It wasn't long before she came to the same conclusion. They married on September 9, 1950, and he graduated with a degree in Horticulture in May, 1951. They remained faithful to each other for nearly 67 years until her passing in 2017.

He worked for a short time for a wholesale floral supply company in Terre Haute, Indiana. His hard work ethic grounded in integrity led him to realize that he'd only be content by determining his own destiny through being self employed. He kept an eye out on his route for a flower shop to buy. He found one in 1954 in Danville, Illinois. He took that small shop that didn't even make enough money to support his family, to the largest shop in Danville by the time he retired to Arizona in 1986.

Even though he couldn't read a lick of music, his love of music characterized most of his life, starting while he was in Purdue. In Danville, he led Dixieland Saints band, then a Jazz band, and lastly a dance band called Ed Woodley Combo. Even after retirement, he played in a band called The Retreads in Fountain Hills, AZ.

He was an avid golfer all of his life until physical limitations caused him to quit. Even after stopping golfing, his golfing buddies stayed in touch. After Ev passed away, he began inviting the golf group over to his home every Saturday for homemade waffles. This helped him recover from the grief he experienced at Ev's death. The group was called Eddies Waffles, and continued until he decided to move to assisted living in January of 2024. Even though the waffles stopped, the group continued to meet occasionally, with many members visiting him at his assisted living apartment.

Ed is survived by five children: Lyn Woodley, Therese Carpenter (Dennis), Edward Woodley Jr (Debbie), Elizabeth Walsh (Jim), Michael Woodley (Teresa); eighteen grandchildren; and eighteen great-grandchildren. He loved each one of them fiercely. He was involved in each child's life in many different ways: mostly as supporter and cheerleader. Family was most important to him, especially in the later years. He instilled in every one of his kids a great work ethic, integrity, honesty, and love for God. He loved hearing about the lives of his kids, grandkids and great grandkids. His heart shared in the struggles his family went through, and loved and encouraged them until they were healed.

We will be celebrating his life on Friday, December 5, 2025 at 9:45 am a funeral mass at St Mark Catholic Church, 2727 Tangerine Road, Oro Valley, AZ.