William P. Woods

Paul was born on April 1 1929 in Watonga, Oklahoma to William and Ola Woods. He lived in Watonga until he was 8 years old, when his family moved to Oregon and California in search of work. He moved to Grand Junction at 9, later moving to Montrose, where they settled and Paul graduated from Montrose High School in 1947.

After graduation from high school, Paul moved to Naturita, Colorado and worked at Vanadium Corporation of America, later hired by Union Carbide Corporation and Dow Chemical Corp. He worked as a machinist, maintenance supervisor, and finally retired as the Master Mechanic for the mill in Uravan. He retired from Dow Chemical in 1986 with 37 years of service.

Paul loved working with his hands and building things. After settling in Nucla and meeting his life partner Joanne Johnson, he built a log house for their home and they married in 1955. They lived in the log house for several years, including one significant remodel of the home. In 1976, Paul began building a second brick home in Nucla, and they lived there for another 25 years.

In 2002, Paul and Joanne moved to Grand Junction. They became active members of Clifton Christian Church, with Paul volunteering for the food and clothing program.

Paul was an accomplished wood worker, making many pieces of furniture and turning candlesticks, wooden bowls, spoons, and spatulas from native Colorado woods. This hobby brought hours of satisfaction to him, and he often gave visitors a wooden spoon or spatula for their use.

Paul enjoyed hunting and fishing, hunting well into his 80’s and his favorite vacations always involved fishing, including deep sea fishing in Hawaii and Alaska, and many weekends and trips to Colorado reservoirs.

Paul is survived by his spouse, Joanne Woods, daughters Pamela Johnson and Judy Haining, grandson Justin Johnson, and several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Food Bank Program at Clifton Christian Church. https://cccfoodbank.com/

A Memorial Service will be held at Clifton Christian Church at 11am on July 14, 2025. Clifton Christian Church is located at 3241 F-1/4 Rd, Clifton.