Alan B. Woodard, 74, of Fort Atkinson lost his battle with cancer on July 12th, 2022. Al was born on November 3rd, 1947 to Earl (Scoop) and Dorothy (Dottie) Woodard. He graduated from Delavan-Darien High School in 1965, continued to stay in touch with many of his classmates, and always looked forward to a reunion.
After high school, Al enlisted in the United States Army and served his country in the Vietnam War. While we are thankful that he wasn’t affected in the way that many of our Vietnam vets were and continue to be, it wasn’t something he talked about. In August of 1968, Al was awarded a Bronze Star with Valor for his heroism in ground combat on the front lines. To say we are proud would be an understatement.
After the war, Al was stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington State. While visiting his buddy and his wife at Pacific Lutheran University, he met and fell in love with her friend. Al married Kathy Gilbertson on May 20th, 1972, and together they moved back to Wisconsin. Al returned to college part time while working full time and earned a degree in Accounting from U.W. Whitewater in 1979. After welcoming two children while going to school, Al and Kathy relocated their family to Fort Atkinson, where he would live out the rest of his days.
Al was a lover of all things “hometown,” whether that be the town he grew up in, the town he raised his family, or the towns in which his kids raised theirs. Until the creation of Facebook, he was known to keep better track of his kids’ classmates than they did, always providing updates.
Al was also a huge fan of all things sports. If there was a question you had about any sport, team, or player, he was your guy, and often had the answer off the top of his head. Of course, his favorite teams were the Packers, Brewers, and Badgers. Even though he always enjoyed golf and bowling, it wasn’t until after his retirement in 2009 that he really had the time to enjoy them, and spent countless hours on the links and the lanes with some really great friends.
Al would have done anything for his family, and cherished every moment spent with them. Al is survived by Kathy, his wife of 50 years, daughter and son-in-law Stacy and Josh, their children Kyra and Abe, son and daughter-in-law Bryce and Lorie, and their children Jackson and August. He is further survived by his sister and brother-in-law Carol and Joe Salas, Kathy’s brother and sister-in-law Andy and Kathy Gilbertson, a niece, nephews, and numerous great nieces and nephews, Al was preceded in death by his parents, Scoop and Dottie, stepfather, Orville Boisvert, in-laws, Russ and Suzy Gilbertson, and nephew Joey Salas.
In honor of Al’s wishes, there will not be a funeral. However we will be hosting a Celebration of Life on Saturday, August 20th from 3 to 7 p.m. at Bridge at River and Main. Please join us for some food, a drink, and plenty of conversation, as we all know that’s what Al would want.
Memorials may be made to Rainbow Hospice of Jefferson County or Vietnam Veterans of America.
Dunlap Memorial Home in Fort Atkinson is assisting the family.
Alan B. Woodard
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