It saddens me to say that long time Shelby owner, SAAC member and my friend, John C D “Woody” Woodruff passed away on Saturday. Woody bravely fought pancreatic cancer for almost 3 years.
Many people on this forum will know Woody as being the original owner of car no. 145, a gray ‘redlight’ 1967 GT350, and remember him as a frequent member of the GT350 tours. But he was also known for accompanying his best friend Tom Cotter on many of his famous Cobra Tours throughout the United States. It was always easy to spot Woody’s car among the pack of original Cobras, acting as a support vehicle for the group.
Woody was a personal hero of mine, and someone I grew strength from as I fought my own battle with cancer. He was one of the toughest individuals I’ve ever met, living life at full throttle and never complaining about the pain he endured. It didn't stop him from living his life, participating in tours and traveling with his friends and family even though he was on chemotherapy almost every day of his life.
There are so many Woody stories that I could relate, and perhaps some of you would like to share your own memories of him. Most famously, Woody will always be forever linked with Fig Newtons after the ‘Grizzly Bear Incident’ in Alaska two summers ago, but I would rather relate a more personal memory I have of him.
Last Fall, when I had surgery to remove part of my kidney two days before Thanksgiving, I felt pretty depressed. Upon my release from the hospital, I settled into my house and noticed a card, that I still have, addressed from Woody. It has a picture of the famous Dunlop footbridge at Le Mans on the cover, and inside Woody wrote the following,
”Congratulations, you’re now cancer free! Now go out and start thinking about more important things like Shelby’s!”
Here was a guy who was looking down the barrel of a much more serious version of cancer, yet he still found the time to sit down and write me. He was truly a class act and he will be missed by many. The Shelby community has lost someone special. The family is planning a private service, please keep him in your prayers.