Daniel E. Wooldridge

1934 - 2024

Daniel E. (Morehead) Wooldridge

June 5, 1934 - August 20, 2024

Daniel Eldridge (Morehead) Wooldridge of Roanoke, Va. died on August 20, 2024 at the age of 90. He was born in Lynchburg on June 5, 1934 and grew up in the foster care system. At the age of 13, he took the last name of Minnie Wooldridge, his foster mother, when he needed a birth certificate to play baseball and discovered he did not have one.

Throughout his life, Dan's sports acumen, strong work ethic, and ability to connect with people from all walks of life opened doors and took him a long way from his humble beginnings. At 11, he had a paper route and sold hot dogs to support his household. At 15, he drove a Rustburg school bus, impressing a passenger who was the wife of Dr. Joseph Hunter, a professor at Lynchburg College. At 17, when Mrs. Wooldridge declined to sign a contract for him to play professional baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals, Dr. and Mrs. Hunter arranged for him to attend Lynchburg College, where he lived above the gym and played basketball, soccer, and baseball for the Hornets.

In college, Dan courted Nancy Cochran, the Varsity Club Queen, with the hook, "Hi! I'm Danny. You might have seen me playing baseball." Nancy would become his best friend and wife of 65 years, giving him the gift of a large and deeply connected family, including three devoted daughters. Nancy died on March 26, 2020.

After graduating from Lynchburg College in 1956, Dan taught and coached baseball and football at William Fleming High School and later completed graduate coursework at the University of Virginia. In these first years out of college while raising his young girls, he also played minor league baseball for the Salem Pirates, coached American Legion Baseball, and began officiating recreational basketball games at the old Roanoke City Market Building.

While Dan was a successful life insurance salesman for over 30 years, he also built a gratifying career pursuing his lifelong passion for sports. In his nearly six decades of sports officiating, Dan enjoyed being an unsung hero. He was committed to fair play, resolute decision-making, and was unmoved by even the boldest fans, athletes and coaches. He officiated college basketball for 23 years, highlighted by 21 years in the ACC and 13 NCAA postseason tournaments. He was proud to represent the United States as one of two American basketball officials at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal and the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow prior to the American boycott. He also officiated NCAA Division I Football in the Southern Conference for 26 years, became the first Commissioner of the Old Dominion Athletic Association, and served as Supervisor of Basketball Officiating for the Colonial Athletic Association and Supervisor of Football Officiating for the Big East Conference. Before fully retiring at 80, he consulted for ACC football including six years in the replay booth and scouted officials for the NFL. Dan's sports stories served as an endless source of amusement to his family and friends - from benching an entire starting baseball lineup due to off-field behavior, to disputing Bobby Knight, to awarding Charles Barkley a technical for hanging on the rim during an Auburn-Kentucky game.

In addition to his work, Dan gained great satisfaction in supporting the Roanoke Valley community. Over the years, he served as president of The Salem Rotary Club and Roanoke Valley Sports Club, as a member of The Roanoke City School Board, and as a deacon at Oakland Baptist Church. He was a co-founder and Hall of Fame honoree of Western Virginia Chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and inductee of the Lynchburg College and Salem-Roanoke Baseball Halls of Fame. Through his leadership in these organizations, he created opportunities to lift up young athletes who often lacked resources or role models at home. He also supported economic development in Southwest Virginia and was instrumental in bringing the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl and the Division III National Championships in baseball, basketball, and softball to Salem. Dan stayed involved well into his retirement, attending Rotary meetings, mentoring through the FCA, and cheering on the Roanoke College basketball team from the stands.

Dan is survived by his daughters, Rebecca (Wyatt) Ewell, Diane (Rob) Laing, and Sarah Wooldridge; his grandchildren, Rachel (Scott) Forrester, Tyler (Erin) Ewell, Alex Ewell, and Daniel Laing; his great-grandchildren, Clara, Thomas and Anna Ewell; his sister, Martha Smith; his sister-in-law, Katherine Cochran; his nephews, Preston (Tonja) Cochran and Neil Smith; his great-niece, Kalei Cochran; and cousin, Betty Bailey (Clyde Evely).

A celebration of Dan and Nancy's lives will be held at the Antrim Chapel at Roanoke College on Saturday, August 31. Visitation will take place at 10 a.m., followed by a Memorial Service at 11 a.m. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to William Fleming High School / Athletics – 3649 Ferncliff Avenue Roanoke, VA 24017 or the Daniel E. and Nancy C. Wooldridge Scholarship fund at the University of Lynchburg - Office of Advancement, 1501 Lakeside Drive, Lynchburg, Virginia 24501.

Arrangements by Simpson Funeral Home & Crematory. 540-366-0707.

Simpson Funeral Home & Crematory

5160 Peters Creek Road, Roanoke, VA 24019