Deaths and Funeral Notices

Bernard Vernon Woods

Bernard Vernon Woods was born in Bristow, Oklahoma on July 18th, 1929 to Clarence and Roseettie (Coffey) Woods. The youngest boy in a large family, Bernie spent his early childhood playing and working on their sharecropper’s farm in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. Bernie’s family moved to Eureka, CA in 1937, where he spent the majority of his life.

Bernie was a gifted and enthusiastic athlete who served as a kicker and played both offensive and defensive line for the Eureka High Loggers. In 1947, he was honored by Don Selby, sportswriter for the San Francisco Examiner, as a California All-State athlete for his football prowess; he went on to receive a football scholarship to Oregon State University that same year. Bernie married his high school sweetheart, Wanda Fay Carpenter, on August 19th, 1947. They were married for 73 years.

A born businessman who excelled at sales, Bernie served as the office and credit manager for Howard Cooper Corporation and Firestone Stores. He later joined BMA as a life insurance representative, where he was recognized often for his skill and salesmanship. Bernie qualified for the Million Dollar Round Table several years in a row and in 1976, he was inducted into BMA’s Blue Blazer Club as an “Outstanding Assurance Man.” Later in his life, Bernie pursued a career in real estate with his friend and business partner, Carol Hammerbacher. He particularly enjoyed the purchase and sales of timberland, and developing property in both California and Kansas.

Bernie was also a longtime member of the Eureka First Covenant Church and particularly enjoyed singing in the church’s choir and men’s quartet (aka the Christian Business Man’s Quartet). The membership of this quartet changed through the years and included life-long friends Dale Bull, James Martin, O.J. Johanson, Tom McMurray, and Rodney and Waldo Gossard.

In 2003, Bernie and Wanda moved to Canby, Oregon, to be nearer to their children and grandchildren. Bernie died from complications of cancer on February 16th, 2021, in Wilsonville, Oregon. He will always be remembered for his deep love of family, his devoted care of Wanda, his affinity for teasing and practical jokes, and his amazing gift for entertainment, aided by a never-ending supply of stories, jokes, and puns.

Bernie was preceded in death by his wife, Wanda (December 26, 2020), his grandson, Gregory (1979), his son, Terry (2008), his brothers Glen, Bruce and Don, and his sisters, Grace Strickland, Bunny Divinnie, and Ruth Lanning. He is survived by his sister, Barbara Stephens (Eureka, CA), his son, Gary (Portland, OR), his daughter and son-in-law Connie (Woods) and Don Titterington (Wilsonville, OR), eight grandchildren (Kim, Steven, Jeffrey, Peter, Julie, Amy, Jon, Brian), 14 greatgrandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.

A joint graveside service for Bernie and Wanda Woods will be held in Eureka, California, this coming summer.