Obituary

Forest "Larry" Woodcock

May 26, 1939 ~ November 19, 2020 (age 81)

Larry Woodcock, who has died at the age of 81, enjoyed a life which was filled with remarkable adventure. He was born of a humble family in East Jordan and used his early life experiences to the fullest.

Woodcock received his early education at the local school where he was an athlete of some accomplishment. His academic and athletic record earned him a scholarship to attend college. He completed his undergraduate and post graduate work at Michigan State University where he read history, mathematics, and accounting.

Lacking a family background filled with education, he drifted into teaching and coaching football. Teaching, however, was a profession to which he was not by nature well suited and he abandoned it. However, many times he stated that his 1962 football team at Whittemore-Prescott was one of the proudest accomplishments of his life. So, it was back to college to earn the training that would qualify him for a certificate as a Certified Public Accountant. This new work gave him an intellectual challenge as he became well versed in Federal income tax law and estate planning. This new work could not provide matters which would completely occupy his mind so he learned to fly an airplane and soon owned his own aircraft. As he stated, "I have flown all over the U.S. and most of southern Canada in rain, snow and fog." His only hairy experience occurred when the engine quit while flying over the Montana mountains at 12,000 feet. As luck would have it, he found an airport within gilding distant and he was able to make a safe landing. When asked if he was scared during the event, he replied "In a deal like that, you are too busy to be worrying about being scared." It was while flying to Florida that started his life-long interest in thoroughbred horse racing. While stopping for gas in Lexington, Kentucky he decided to attend the horse races at Keeneland race course. He was hooked. Woodcock often claimed that handicapping a horse race was one of the most difficult intellectual challenges he had ever encountered. "I can't say that I won a lot of money betting on the horses but on one occasion I did win $ I 9,000 on a 17-1 horse. Larry Woodcock was one of those rare men with the strength of character to change the course of their life in midstream. In 1991, at the age of 51, he sold his business interests in Northern Michigan and moved to Montana. There he continued to work as a CPA as well as undertaking the love of his love----raising beef cattle. His herd of 300 mommy cows were renowned and the calves were sold each year to the same Omaha buyer. In his mind these cows were the greatest accomplishment in his life and the most enjoyable. It was with a heavy heart that he sold the cows so his long suffering wife could move back to Michigan to be near the grandkids. A countryman to his bones, he tackled the world of big-game hunting with a fervor unknown to most men. His trophy room was filled with animals he had taken. "I have had the good fortune to be married to a very understanding wife. With her support I have hunted in Mexico, all of the Western states of the U.S., the Western provinces of Canada, five countries in Africa and in Turkey." However, he was most proud of the five record book whitetail deer he had taken while hunting in Canada and the Grand Slam of North America Wild Sheep (Dall, Desert, Stone, and Big Horn). He showed! Determined to surrender to old age only by inches, he continued to work as a CPA until age 77.

He is survived by his wife, Lonnie, and three children, Kevin, Chris and Shawn Woodcock Walker.

His family will gather for a private graveside service at Sunset Hill Cemetery in East Jordan on Wednesday.