William P. Woodcock IV

William Palmer Woodcock IV
February 6, 1929 – December 20, 2025

William Palmer Woodcock IV, born on February 6, 1929 in Spencer, IA, passed away peacefully on the morning of December 20, 2025 at Morningside House, an assisted living facility in Blue Bell, PA. He was predeceased by his wife of nearly 70 years, Mary Jane (Matson) Woodcock of North Andover, MA; his sister, Susanne E. Weightman of San Jose, CA; and his parents, Mildred (Hunter) Woodcock of Delano, CA, and William P. Woodcock III of Spencer, IA, along with his favorite uncle and surrogate father figure, Howard Fletcher Woodcock of Ithaca, NY.

 

Bill Woodcock had an incredible life. He was driven, dedicated, and fiery; loyal, loving, and never short on wit. A twinkle in his eye through his last days, all who knew him knew that he was forever brewing up a smart—albeit sometimes far-fetched—workaround to some kind of problem or an unexpected one-liner, joke, or pun.

 

Known as Billy in his childhood, he grew up in Spencer where his father owned and operated Woodcock Floral Company, a greenhouse and florist with nearly an acre under glass. He spent his time with lifelong friends Earl Klassey, Jack Donnelly, and Elvin “Swede” Lane, delivering flowers, fishing, hunting, and spending time at Lake Okoboji (IA) and Lake Kabetogama (MN). Known in his older years as Woody or “the Colonel” to his family and friends, he attended Shattuck Military Academy in Faribault, MN, Iowa State University, and Cornell University, where he rowed lightweight crew and studied plant pathology, completing his PhD just short of defending his dissertation.

 

He was enrolled in ROTC in high school and college, and eventually served on active duty as an artillery spotter for the U.S. Army in the Korean War from November 1951 to September 1953. Upon returning to Cornell from war, he met Mary Jane on a bowling blind date set up by mutual friends. They married in Hamden, CT on June 9, 1956, and started a family at Pleasant Grove graduate student housing in Ithaca, NY, where they lived until 1963, when they moved to Massachusetts to launch Bill’s 40-year career working for defense contractors, including Avco and Raytheon, among others.

 

Bill and Mary Jane raised their children and lived in North Andover, MA for 60 years. There, he served the U.S. Army Reserves (~40 years), eventually becoming Colonel and Commandant of the 1034^th U.S. Army Reserve School in Manchester, NH. He spent countless hours in his garden, cultivating tomatoes, beans, zucchini, radishes, peppers, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mulberries, rhubarb, and much more.

 

Wanderlust, fishing, and hunting were omnipresent themes throughout his life. He was a member of the Merrimack Valley Striper Club and the Danvers Fish and Game Club for many years, and he was never short on adventures. He traveled across the globe with local friends and friends from college and elsewhere, in search of striped bass and flounder off Boston Harbor and Cape Cod; salmon in Lake Ontario and Alaska; and grouper and mahi mahi in Florida, Belize, and Costa Rica. He went for geese, grouse, and other game birds as far afield as Montana, Mexico, and South Africa. Among his life’s greatest achievements were catching a 1,000 lb. marlin after a five-hour battle with the fish, reel, and rod at the age of 86 and surviving 60 ft. waves off the Cape of Good Hope.

 

He is survived by his children, Anne Elizabeth Horrigan of Lafayette Hill, PA; Mary Alice Bugden (William H. III) of Gloucester, MA; Robert William Woodcock of Austin, TX; and Kristin Jane Sanderson (Scott A.) of Erdenheim, PA. In addition to his children, Bill is survived by seven grandchildren: Ryan D. Horrigan (Juliana Weekes); William H. Bugden IV (Gabrielle von Paternos) and Andrew L. Bugden (Alexis Hahn); Laney A. Heitner (Andrew) and Spencer J. Woodcock (Sara Ratliff); and Toby S. and Mia J. Sanderson, as well as three great-grandchildren: Hunter B. Horrigan and Gabriel L. and Jackson K. Bugden.

 

A service and burial will be held later in 2026 at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Hamden, CT for immediate family and friends.

 

In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to a VA (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) facility of your choosing by visiting: https://www.cdceportal.va.gov/donate_online/.