Grady Graper Woody

MEMPHIS - Grady Graper Woody, 97, passed away on July 13, 2020 at Baptist hospital in Memphis after a short illness. He was born September 10, 1922 in Scotts Hill, Tennessee. Grady was the first of three sons born to E.G. and Estelle Woody. After graduating from Scotts Hill High School, where he was an outstanding point guard on the basketball team, World War II intervened. Grady enlisted in the U.S. Army November 24,1942. He deployed to Germany and was seriously wounded in the Battle of Heilbronn, Germany on April 11,1945. He received two Bronze Star medals for bravery and was awarded the Purple Heart. During his time in the Army, and before being deployed overseas, he got to take leave and go home for a week. He wasted no time marrying his childhood sweetheart and the love of his life, Lillian Taylor, in April of 1943. Grady and Lillian celebrated their anniversary of 77 years in May of 2020.

After leaving the Army he enrolled in and graduated from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. He then received his Masters Degree from Memphis State University. In 1953 Grady (or Graper as his family called him) and Lillian moved to Memphis. There Grady began a distinguished career in education. In 1958 he became Director of the Memphis State University Training School and began teaching Educational Psychology in the College of Education. During his tenure, the Training School became the Campus School. When a new home for the Campus School was planned, he incorporated innovative design elements that were widely copied in other new schools. He loved children and any decision he made was always guided by the question of what would be best for the students. Under his leadership the Campus School developed a reputation for excellence in education and was the recipient of many awards acknowledging that status. During his time in education he always remained active in Phi Delta Kappa, a professional education association and served as the regional director. In 1980, after 22 years at the Campus School, Grady retired from what is now the University of Memphis. After retiring Grady and Lillian bought a small farm in Henderson County near their birthplace of Scotts Hill. There he took on the role of gentleman farmer; raising cattle, pigs, horses, dogs and cats. He always tended a huge garden and planted an orchard. In the summer the back porch was always crowded with vegetables and fruit to be canned or frozen by Lillian. Occasionally he would get caught up enough with the farm work to go fishing with his sons, which he loved doing. This period was probably the most enjoyable of his life and the farm was the place he always identified as being “home”. Grady is survived by his wife Lillian, his son Charles, his son Danny and Danny’s wife Christine and step grandson Michael Masterson, his brother Charles (Dock) Woody and his wife Mary Ann, his sister-in-law Kathleen Robins and sister-in-law Sharon Woody and numerous nephews and nieces. Grady always made you feel better when you were around him. He had a wicked sense of humor and a great laugh. His work ethic was amazing, even as he got up in years. He had a quiet, strong religious faith, and believed in taking care of what he felt God had entrusted to him. He was a good man and will be missed so much.