The Rev. Dr. C. Roy Woodruff on Friday, January 11,2019, in Asheville, NC, The Rev. Dr. C. Roy Woodruff, Sr. passed away peacefully holding the hand of each of his beloved sons.
Roy, age 80, built his life around helping others through his work as a Chaplain, Pastoral Counselor, Minister, Teacher, Executive Director and his relationships with his family, church, and community. Roy was born on September 27, 1938, in Anniston, Alabama, to Dr. Gerald G. Woodruff, Sr. and Flora (Campbell)Woodruff. He was adored by his older siblings Gerald Jr. and Jane.
As a young man Roy developed a love of the outdoors through participation in the Boy Scouts of America earning the highest rank of Eagle Scout at the age of 13. He was also an Alabama Junior State Tennis Champion. After graduating from the McCallie School in Chattanooga, TN, he attended the University of Alabama, lettering in tennis under Bear Bryant and earning a BA in history in 1960.
Roy attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. , where he met the love of his life, Kay Carolyn Jernigan. They married in 1962, in Pensacola, Florida.
ln 1963, After earning his Bachelor of Divinity degree, he completed his Ph.D. in Psychology of Religion and Pastoral Care in 1966. Dr. Woodruff had more than 50 years of professional experience prior to his full retirement in 2014. He served as Head of the Pastoral Counseling Department at Bryce State Hospital in Tuscaloosa, Taught Patient Counseling at Med.
College of Virginia; Head of the dept of Pastoral Care at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, was Executive Director of the Peninsula Pastoral Counseling Center (Hampton/Newport News, VA) and was the Executive Director of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors from 1988 to 2003, where he actively worked in support of initiatives for mental health care reform legislation in DC. Among other connections, Roy was a visiting professor for the Korea Christian lnstitute of Psychotherapy in Seoul Korea, and authored several publications, particularly of in the area of substance abuse counseling, including “Alcoholism and Christian Experience” (1968) and “Spiritual Care for Addicted Persons and Families” (2006). Considering his exceptional professional accomplishments, Dr. Woodruff was given numerous accolades.
He was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the Virginia lnstitute for Pastoral Care in 2002, the Distinguished Contributions Award from the American Association of Pastoral Counselors in 2003, and the Wayne Oates Award, 2004, from the Wayne E. Oates lnstitute. Roy was presented the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award in Religious Services in 2018 by Marquis Who’s Who. He passed on a great appreciation for nature to his sons and their children.
He loved going to the mountains for hiking and backpacking. He loved swinging on vines, tennis, dogs, reading, writing, and most of all, his family. He was a gentle, kind person with a wry wit and a sensitive soul.
Roy is survived by his wife of 57 years, Kay, son Charles Jr. and wife Amy, son Earl David and wife Leslie, brother Gerald and wife Betty, brothers-in-law Ted Lucas, Skip Jernigan and wife Bonnie, and sister-in-law Sue Harris and husband Roger. Roy is also survived by his cherished grandchildren Charles III and Maia Grace, and 10 nieces/nephews and numerous great nieces and nephews and cousins. Roy was preceded in death by his parents Gerald and Flora Woodruff and recently by his sister Jane Woodruff Lucas.
A Service honoring Roy’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 26, at the First Baptist Church, 5 Oak Street, Asheville, North Carolina, (fbca.net), with Senior Pastor Austin Mclver Dennis officiating. Memorial donations in memory of Dr. G. Roy Woodruff may be made to The Appalachian Trail Conservancy ( donate. appalachiantrail.org ) and The Carter Center ( www.
cartercenter.org/donateindex. htmI ).
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