With faithful and consoled hearts, we bid goodbye to Elwood “Woody” Wilbur, a true friend and beacon of light, who departed from this world on November 14, 2024. Born in Portland, Maine, on August 29, 1947, Woody was the firstborn son of Elwood and Alice Geer Wilbur and spent most of his childhood in New Hampshire.

He played football for Maine Maritime Academy where he received his commission as an ensign in the Naval Reserve, his merchant marine license, and bachelor of science degree. He worked for Mobile Oil in New York and the marine industry in St. Louis before moving to Houston, Texas, where he married his beloved wife, Wendy in 1979.

Everywhere he went he made lifelong friends and happy memories, from Singapore to Argentina. A lover of the sea and all things nautical, Woody’s other great passions were running, golf, and his lake camp in Maine.

Woody and Wendy became devoted members of April Sound Church in 1999, where they found a new and close-knit family who have shared their love of the Lord and desire to make the world a better place. In 2017, after being diagnosed with Stage 4 lymphoma, Woody responded with his typical strength and boundless good humor.

Thanks to the expert care he received at MD Anderson, he was able to enjoy the past seven happy years living and loving his family, friends, camp in Maine and, of course, his church.

Woody is survived by his wife Wendy; children Dana, Ronny, and Kim; grandchildren Lauren, Landon, Lily, Wyatt, and Brady Wade; and siblings David, Tom, and Kitty Wilbur.