Richard L. (R.L.) Woodard

Richard L. (R.L.) Woodard, age 87, went home to be with Christ, His Savior on Monday, October 4, 2021.
A celebration of his life memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 9, 2021, at 11:00 AM in the chapel of Arrington Funeral Directors, with Rev. Bill Espy officiating. Burial will follow in Ridgecrest Cemetery, Jackson, TN. The family will be receiving friends from 4:00 PM until 6:00 PM on Friday, October 8, 2021, and from 10:00 AM until service time on Saturday.
Born October 27, 1933, in Tipton County, TN, Richard was the third son born to the late Solon A. and Audie Brown Woodard. After the birth of his two sisters and another brother, the family moved to the “Woodard Farm” at Rosemark, Shelby County, TN in 1946. Richard was ‘born again’, accepting Christ as His Savior at age 14. He was a member of Antioch Baptist church since 2001 and served on the Building and Grounds Committee and as a Deacon. He was a member of Woodland Baptist Church 1984-2001, where he served on the Building and Grounds Committee. He served as Deacon and in other areas of leadership while a member of First Assembly of God Church from 1964-1983. Richard had a sacrificial love for his family, humbly serving his church and those in need with a gentleness of spirit that brought joy to those whose lives he touched. He was a member of The Gideons and loved giving memorial Bibles to share God’s Word with the world. As a private pilot, he enjoyed flying his ultralight plane and visiting with ‘flying’ buddies. He enjoyed traveling to see God’s creation and America’s history in every state. His Delight of Life was time spent with his wife, children, and grandchildren. Graduating from Bolton High School, Shelby County in 1951, Richard attended Memphis State University and served in the United States Air Force for four years. While at Barksdale AFB in Bossier City, LA. He married his Louisiana bride and lived there until 1962 when they moved to Rosemark, Shelby County TN and then to Jackson in 1964. Richard was a licensed General contractor, owning and operating, R.L. Woodard Construction Company, which was involved in residential and light commercial construction approximately thirty years in Jackson and West Tennessee. He loved working as building inspector for Madison County Building Department from 1997-2002.
Left to cherish his memory is his loving wife of sixty-five years, Katherine Pair Woodard of Jackson, TN; his three sons, their wives and his five grandchildren: Doyle and Samantha Woodard of Mount Pleasant, TN; Darrell and Jennifer with daughters, Katelyn Grace and Sydney Claire Woodard of Paducah, KY; Dwight and Kimberly with daughters, Autumn Paige and Amelia Katherine and son, Benjamin Thomas Woodard of Jackson, TN; his beloved sisters, Betty Black of Bartlett, TN and Wilma Martin of Alpharetta, GA; his sisters-in-law, Jane Woodard of Memphis, TN and Verna Pair of Texas and a host of extended family and countless friends.
Richard was preceded in death by his three brothers: Wayne and wife Sue, Carlton and wife Polly and Arvis Woodard.
‘Absent from the body, present with the Lord’, His Legacy and Love live on. Memorial contributions may be made to the Gideons International Memorial Bibles, 30 Sutton Place, Jackson, TN 38305, Antioch Baptist Church 425 Antioch Road, Humboldt, TN 38343 or Birth Choice Clinic, 391 Wallace Road, Jackson, TN 38308.