Princeton – H. Merritt Woodward, 95, of Westborough, a longtime resident of Princeton, passed away Friday, Oct. 28, 2011 at UMass Memorial Medical Center-Memorial Campus.
He leaves his wife of eight years, Janice E. (Brooke) Woodward of Westborough; a daughter, Susan C. Woodward of Sioux Falls, S.D.; three sons, Stephen C. Woodward of Worcester, Christopher M. Woodward and his wife Deborah of Kernersville, N.C., and Jonathan C. Woodward and his wife Annemarie of Rutland; seven grandchildren, Brian E. Pomeranz, Jeffrey J. Pomeranz, Heather K. Woodward, Matthew C. Woodward, Jessica M. Woodward, Benjamin M. Woodward and Nathaniel C. Woodward; four great-grandchildren; and nieces and nephews. His first wife of 62 years, Anita (Chapman) Woodward, passed away in 2003. Two sisters, Annie Louise Cleaver and Evelyn Beatrice Aulie, predeceased him.
Mr. Woodward was born in Vincentown, New Jersey, son of Edward B. and Helen Hunt Jackson (Brown) Woodward. He graduated from MIT in Cambridge in 1940.
He was a Captain in the U.S. Army during World War II, serving with the 1905th Engineer Aviation Battalion in the China-Burma-India Theatre. He received the Asiatic-Pacific Theatre Medal with two bronze battle stars and his unit participated in the construction of the Ledo Road in Burma. He retired from the Army Reserves in 1957 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Mr. Woodward was a purchasing agent for the James River Corporation, formerly Weyerhaeuser Corporation, in Fitchburg, retiring in 1978. After retirement, he volunteered his time at Our Father's Table in Fitchburg for many years. He loved to spend time with his family and work around “Wild Acres,” the Princeton homestead.
The family would like to express their sincerest, heartfelt appreciation to the doctors, nurses and staff at the Memorial Campus for their compassionate care during his final days, and the many individual kindnesses shown to them. The kind words and remembrances will be treasured.
A celebration of Mr. Woodward's life will be held Saturday, Nov. 19, at 11 a.m., in the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main St. (Route 122A), Holden. A committal service will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery in Princeton. There are no calling hours.
Memorial contributions may be made to Our Father's Table, P.O. Box 2653, Fitchburg, MA 01420.
To share a memory or leave an on-line condolence, visit www.milesfuneralhome.com.
