Sept. 3, 1956 – TBD
Nicknamed Mr. 180 for his uncanny ability to change his mind, alter his plans or, especially, revise his career direction, Jeffrey L. Woodard was truly a renaissance man. After covering many of the professional areas related to his college degree – newspaper reporting/editing, public relations, ad copywriting and marketing – he dabbled in bartending, collections work, massage, the hospitality industry and ridesharing.
Woodard died peacefully(hopefully!) on TBD, in (hopefully!) his sleep at the Lakewood, Ohio, home he had lived in and loved the last 26 years of his life. He was TBD.
Raised by loving parents who went on to be married 70 years, Woodard graduated from Chardon High School in 1974 and earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Kent State University in 1979. A lifelong (and constantly disappointed) fan of Cleveland’s pro sports team, he interned and served two years on the sports copy desk of the Kent-Ravenna Record-Courier.
Two years later, the first of his presto-change-o acts: He needed less winter and more freedom. So he packed his bags and his family into his 1978 Plymouth Volare and moved to Phoenix, Arizona. In the middle of the desert. With no job.
But for the grace of God, within two weeks, he landed a position at the sports desk of the Mesa Tribune. He served there for three and a half years before moving to The Arizona Daily Star sports copy desk in Tucson. In 1985, he returned to Ohio, going to work for The Columbus Dispatch features and sports desks. He loved the decade that followed, but when enough became enough for him in the world of daily newspapers in 1996, he returned full circle to the Greater Cleveland area – the place that would always be “home.”
He wrote for various entities including Nationwide Advertising Service, the United Church of Christ, Scene magazine and PaintPro Magazine. In 2007, he obtained a certificate as massage practitioner and found for a while that unkinking kinks and putting words together as a freelance writer was a good combination.
Also in 2007, he visited the campus of Eden Seminary in St. Louis, on the whim that the pastoral life was one for him. It turned out not to be – although it made him realize and appreciate how much he was regarded and loved for his pastoral manner; his ability to lend an open ear or a soft shoulder to those in need. To that end, yoga became a big part of his life.
With the UCC, Woodard wrote news stories, profiles and feature pieces heralding the disadvantaged, the downtrodden and the disengaged. He was humbled to have the opportunity to tell the next story illustrating the inherent good in humanity; those who were first to respond in crisis, provide for the homeless, or otherwise give selflessly.
That said, Woodard knew how to make fun and adventure out of work. His offbeat sense of humor landed him in several classes with the Second City Comedy Improv, among other local comedy schools. Wherever he went, he had a knack for stimulating minds, lightening hearts and lifting spirits.
In the last decade of his life, he served as a pickup/delivery driver for a fur company; worked as a tour guide at the famed “Christmas Story House” in Cleveland; enjoyed nearly three years of walking his butt off as dining-room host at Westwood Country Club in Rocky River, Ohio; and in the two years leading up to the pandemic, drove for Lyft, where he didn’t need to look for stories; they found him.
Not least among his many blessings was Alcoholics Anonymous, which welcomed him with open arms on Oct. 27, 2013, and never let go of him.
Woodard was preceded in death by his father, Richard L. Woodard, and mother, Lois J. Woodard – the Greatest Samaritans he had ever known. He is survived by his sister, Lori Woodard, of Solon, Ohio, and an array of cousins, aunts, uncles and friends whom he cannot thank enough for all the joy, love and support they infused into his wonderful life.
Visitation is set for (INSERT TIME/DATE) . A celebration of life will take place (INSERT TIME/DATE/VENUE). In lieu of flowers, it is suggested that donations be made online to the Cleveland District Office of Alcoholics Anonymous, https://www.aacle.org/donate/.