ANDREW W. ANDY WOODBURY passed away peacefully on the evening of October 10, 2011. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Rita; his six children Andy, Matt, Rita, Brian, Chris and Ray; their spouses, Sue, Natalie, Ed, Karen, Tami and Kathy; his 20 grandchildren, one of which he survived; his 16 great grandchildren; and his sole remaining sibling, his sister, Barbara.
Andy was born to Walter and Angela Woodbury in 1928, was raised in New York City, and was the eldest of their five children. He attended Bishop Loughlin High School, and then SUNYs Maritime College at Fort Schuyler in NYC graduating in 1949 earning an engineering degree. This provided the perfect environment for this disciplined, yet adventurous, individual, as it taught him the science of engineering while introducing him to travel, which he came to love for much of his life. His stint as an officer in the merchant marines brought him to many unique locales throughout the world. Eventually, he took his engineering degree and experiences to a company where he spent a significant and wonderful portion of his career at Goulds Pump located in Seneca Falls, NY. By the end of his run there, he became one of the key individuals acknowledged to have put Goulds on the map he truly loved that organization. When it came time for him to move on, he was chosen to become President of Johnston Pumps in Glendora, California, where he spent five years growing that organization into a worldwide product and world class service provider. At the end of that run, he decided to work in a company of his own, which brought him to Process Equipment Company, where he ended his career 18 years later.
Andy traveled extensively both professionally and personally. Only Antarctica was a continent he didnt place a foot upon. He loved the many peoples that he met throughout the world; he appreciated and respected their customs; and he even went so far as to immerse himself in learning Spanish so he could better communicate with key contacts and friends in Central and South America.
Andy had interesting hobbies throughout and at various times in his life he was a prolific reader throughout his life preferring real world writing rather than fiction; he was a golfer for two different portions of his life; he owned and loved riding horses at two different times, as well; he earned his airplane pilots license, though eventually lost interest after not too long; and he owned a cabin cruiser as a boater for a while. Andy loved music; he even learned to play the organ on his own later in his life; he could sing well, but preferred and enjoyed more playing the bongos with his musician friends at one of his favorite restaurant while living in La Quinta.
Andy was more appreciative being with the meek than the powerful. There wasnt a waiter that he didnt learn his or her name, and Andy was a great tipper, too, feeling that any extra generosity from a good tip was the easy aspect of an evening out with his wife and/or friends. Andy appreciated fine foods and wines, too, as he loved the process of dining rather that just going out for dinner. He befriended many a chef and restaurateur during his life that was mutually appreciated.
My father will be dearly missed by all of his family and friends. Please say a prayer or have a kind thought for him.
Appreciatively,
The Woodbury Family
FMSAA