William Woody was born in Fresno on November 27, 1938, to Jay and Annabelle Woody. Bill had a younger sister Deanna who was born four years later. During Bill's childhood years he  enjoyed Little League Baseball during his 7th and 8th grades, and he also had a newspaper  delivery route to earn himself a little spending money.

However, the big interest for Bill during those formative years was discovering Ham Radio in  1950 when he was 12. Bill graduated from Fresno's Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1956.

Bill joined the Navy thereafter and sent off to basic naval training (Boot Camp) in San Diego. Because of his knowledge and interest in Ham Radio, he was sent to the Navy Communications  School for 6-months in 1959. From there, he was then sent to the Army's prestigious Language  School at the Presidio, Monterey, California (Now the Defense Language Institute Foreign  Language Center, Monterey). During those Cold War years our

government needed people to learn numerous foreign languages, and Bill quickly learned Bulgarian for his upcoming naval assignment. Upon graduating, he was sent for a 6-month period to Karamürsel Air Force Station and the US Logistics Group  (TUSLOG 28) to interpret Soviet Naval communication intercepts  from their Black Sea Fleet. His apartment near Istanbul, Turkey

provided him with the opportunity to see the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosques as well as other  sights. He was later to serve aboard the Navy's Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carrier, coincidentally  named the USS Franklin Delano Roosevelt (CV-42), 6th Fleet. Lastly, attached to the Admiral's Flag Ship and for the Admiral, he deciphered coded messages for the remainder of his four-year  service period.

When Bill's four-year hitch in the Navy ran its course, he came back to Fresno and enrolled at  Fresno State College, where he earned a BA degree in Education and graduated with honors in  1963. With degree in hand, Bill taught public school in both elementary and junior high levels  for a few years. Specifically, he taught Grades 7 and 8 at Madison Junior High School in Fresno,  Grades 6 and 7 in Kerman, and Grades 4, 5 & 6 at Ewing and Lane Elementary Schools in  Fresno.

However, it would be Bill's extra-curricular activity during his years as a student at Fresno State  working as a Stage Technician that would ultimately grab his fancy and lead him away from  teaching and into showbiz.

In 1972, he took a leave of absence from teaching to go on the road with the Broadway  production company of Hair. This was followed by joining additional traveling companies doing other Broadway shows including Annie (1,600 performances), Do You Turn Somersaults?,  Sly Fox, and Phantom of the Opera (1,600 performances in San Francisco, 1994 – 1999).

While a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) union Local Chapter #158 (50+ year member, since 1962), Bill became one of the first employees of  Fresno's new Convention Center (October 1966) working as an Electrician, Audio Engineer and  General Stagehand. Over the years he served in various roles in IATSE Local #158, including  president. Bill also founded Electro-Systems Associates installing custom sound and alarm  systems, and Fresno Theatrical Lighting providing stage lighting for many fairs, shows, and  concerts throughout California.

Bill's main hobby, a lifetime love affair with Ham Radio, began when he was 12 years old when he built his first crystal radio set. He obtained his first license for Amateur Radio at 14 (November 1952) as a Novice, and with the Call Sign of W6TUI on a Hallicrafters S-40B  Receiver, also acquired a 1st Class Radio Telephone Broadcast Engineer's License. Bill's later  "Vanity" Call Sign was W6GM. Bill also holds a General Radio Telephone License with a Ship  Radar Endorsement. Bill spent more than 70 years in Ham Radio, earning along the way, a DX  rating and a 5-Band DXCC, including DX Honor Roll commendation.

Bill also found time to pursue his interests in both weightlifting and flying aircraft.

Beginning with Cessna 152 flying lessons in Oakland in the mid 70's, he soon earned his Pilot's  License. Among Bill's accomplishments while flying was his mastery of a float plane out of  Seattle's Lake Union and Lake Washington. Also on Bill's list of aeronautical accomplishments was flying from Denver to Leadville, Colorado (Highest U.S. airport at 10,152 ft.), and was a member of Fresno County Sheriff's Aero  Squadron. Pictured above is Bill with a Cherokee One Eighty that he flew for many years.

Bill's lifelong desire to be fit led to his interest of weightlifting beginning in his teens. Bill set  multiple bench-press and free weight records along the way. He has the distinction of bench  pressing over 300 pounds, more than twice his own body weight, at age 65.

OBITUARY INFORMATION

Bill passed away on May 2nd, 2024 at the age of 85. He leaves behind his loving wife, Diane  Roth Woody,  his sons Steven and his wife Suzanne of Petaluma and Michael and his wife Katy of San Ramon  and his four grandchildren. Remembrances can be made to the Nancy Hinds Hospice, the Central California SPCA, or the  American Cancer Society.