Willis Woodsmall
Born: January 31st, 1941
Died: July 8th, 2009
Obituary
Willis "Deke" Woodsmall, 68, of Fort Madison and formerly of Burlington, died at 4:50 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, 2009, at Rideout Memorial Hospital in Marysville, Calif., while on vacation. Born January 31, 1941, in Middletown, he was the son of John Edward and Nell Marie Caulk Woodsmall. On March 9, 1963, he married Frances J. Myers in Oquawka, IL. She died August 29, 1996. On November 7, 1998, he married Gertrude Kreps at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Fort Madison. Mr. Woodsmall was a sheet metal worker and pipefitter for CB&Q, Burlington Northern and Santa Fe railroads at the West Burlington shops for 39 years, retiring in 2002. He was owner and operator of D&J Nursery Service in Burlington for more than 30 years, and a part-time driver for Shottenkirk in Fort Madison. He was a 1959 graduate of Burlington High School. He served in the Army with the rank of Sergeant. He was a member of SS. Mary and Joseph Catholic Church in Fort Madison, a board member of the Zephyr and River Bend Credit Union, and a member of International Association of Sheet Metal Workers Local 369. He enjoyed coin collecting since childhood. Survivors include his wife; one daughter, Amanda Edwards of Burlington; two sons, Darryl Woodsmall and Mark Woodsmall, both of Mississippi; two stepdaughters, Cheri Bergthold of Fort Madison, and Tiffany Lewandowski of California; and three grandchildren. Besides his first wife, he was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers, and one sister. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Lunning Chapel in Burlington. The mass of Christian burial for Mr. Woodsmall will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at SS. Mary and Joseph Catholic Church, Holy Family Parish in Fort Madison, with the Rev. Mark Spring officiating. Burial with military rites will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Aspen Grove Cemetery in Burlington. A memorial has been established.