Obituary of Daniel E. Woodward

    Dan passed away peacefully on April 24, 2025 surrounded by family after suffering a stroke. He is predeceased by his parents Dorothy and William Woodward.

    Dan was born June 12, 1959 and raised on the family farm, now known as "Woody Acres", in Penfield. He grew up working on the farm, playing varsity soccer, and reading science fiction novels (once claiming to have read every book in the science fiction section of his local library). This fascination with science fiction and technology, combined with a talent for math and computers, would lead him to study computer science at Union College where he would earn a master’s degree in the subject. He then moved to New Jersey to begin his career in IT with Bell Labs. He would continue working for Bell Labs and then eventually Verizon, moving to Maryland during that time where he spent 23 years and helped raise his two sons. He retired from Verizon in 2017 and moved back to the Webster/Penfield area to be closer to family. 

    Throughout his life, Dan displayed a love of the outdoors and spent much of his free time gardening, hiking, and kayaking. He was also active in the Boy Scouts with his sons, serving as the Advancement Coordinator for Troop 882 (Poplar Springs, MD) and often chaperoning their camping trips to his sons' occasional embarrassment. He would also find any excuse to break out the chainsaw, getting a little too excited for his wife's peace of mind whenever a dead tree would fall across the driveway and need to be cut up. An avid fan of Premier League soccer, he would DVR every game he could find and watch each one regardless of whether he already knew the outcome. In retirement, he took up traveling, going on numerous RV trips, a tour of Scandinavian capitals and a trip through the Canadian Rockies. He also discovered a love for pickleball which he played with new friends he met on the courts at the Webster Rec Center.

    He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Susan, sons, Daniel and Eric, brother, Dave (Linda), sister, Jody (Danny), numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. 

    We do not have the words or the space herein to capture everything that Dan was to so many, so we will simply leave here that he was kind, a loving husband, a caring and involved father, generous with his time and possessions, intelligent, a bit of a chatterbox, at times a smidge overly confident in his own opinions and a man of relentless energy (to his wife and sons' occasional annoyance) who only remained still when engrossed in a soccer match or novel. He will be sorely missed by all those lucky enough to have loved him.

    In lieu of flowers consider a donation to Wilmot Cancer Institute, PO Box 278996, Rochester, NY 14627.

    A celebration of Dan's life will take place 12:00 noon Thursday, June 12th on what would have been his 66th birthday. Family and friends are invited to the White House Lodge in Webster for a luncheon and remembrances.