CHILDHOOD
Ralph Windsor Woodmansee (Woody) was born on New Year’s Day 1929 in Cincinnati Ohio to parents Helen Margaret Asbury and Ralph Burdsal Woodmansee. He
was the middle child between Robert (Bob) and Margaret (Peggy Ann). He and his family left Ohio to live in north Georgia
for a few years, but would eventually end up in Miami Florida. They originally lived on Tiger Tail Avenue in
the City of Miami, but the family would move to “the middle of nowhere” and
build a house on the block of Red Road and 81st Street. His father Ralph (most knew him as Mike) was
an electrician. His mother, Helen was a
homemaker and volunteered for the Girl Scouts, later in life she would work for
the Girl Scouts of America Miami office.
SIBLINGS
Woody’s
brother Bob became a marine biologist, and he fondly remembered helping Bob on
a research project involving netting zooplankton near Chicken Key in Biscayne
Bay, this research was published by Bob later.
Bob would later move away to teach in Texas, but Woody kept in touch
with him. Woody was very close to his
sister Peggy, who was a homemaker and renowned in the family for her cooking
skills. Peggy, her husband Richard Kosel
(who was Woody’s best man at his wedding), and three boys lived stayed in the
Miami area till adulthood.
SCHOOL LIFE AND
MILITARY
Ralph
attended Ponce De Leon High School in Coral Gables , where most of his friends
called him Sonny. In high school and at
University he was known as an avid dancer.
He met lifelong friend Vera Fascell.
He managed to get a scholarship to the Univ. of Miami FL by teaching
himself to “twirl a broomstick handle”, and became one of the school band’s
drum majors, and led them in many an Orange bowl parade. While at UM, Sonny was also a member of the
Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, where he kept lifelong friend Earl Welbaum. While attending UM, the Korean Conflict
began, and Ralph elected to enter the U.S. Air force rather than being drafted
while finishing his degree.
Ralph
served in Amarillo, TX and U.S. Territory Guam while in the U.S. Air Force, and
left the military with the rank of Draft Sergeant. He then completed a Bachelor Degree in Art with a
minor in Philosophy at UM. At some point (likely while in the Air
Force), the moniker Sonny became Woody, a favored nickname that he kept for the
rest of his life.
JO
In
September 1957 Woody’s friend Vera would introduce him to her friend and
Eastern Airlines stewardess “Jo” Draper.
Woody and Jo would fall in love with each other, and married at Woody’s
church Riviera Presbyterian on April 5, 1958.
Jo became homemaker, and eventually a registered nurse. They stayed in Woody’s mother Helen’s house
for seven years saving money to put a down payment on a house. Jo was pregnant with their first child Michael
while working on her Biology degree at the Univ. of Miami, and he was born in
1962. He was followed by son Marc in
1963. In 1965, while Jo was pregnant
with Helen, the family moved into their newly built home next door. The home was built by brothers Joseph and Austin
Porfiri, the latter whom was husband of Woody’s friend Vera. Woody helped design the house; he previously
created a floorplan while in the Air Force.
The plan included a unique four way chimney which included three fire
places and a bbq on the outside patio. Jo
and Woody had two more children, Jolynne in 1967, and finally Steven in
1971. Family was always a focus for both
Jo and Woody during their 60 year marriage.
Woody loved and cherished Jo, who took care of him during his final
years.
BOXERS
Woody
had a passion for dogs, especially boxers.
He and Jo would breed and show award winning pets early on in their
marriage. He’d take a break from having puppies while he and Jo’s hands were filled with kids, but would always keep boxers
as pets for the remainder of his
days. Draper, Picot, Mocha, Teera,
Brandy, Precious 1 and Precious 2 were some of his canine friends.
FAMILY and FATHERHOOD
Woody
always loved to camp. Whether it was a
weekend getaway, or a lavishly long trip, Woody and Jo would take their
children on lots of travel vacations.
Favorite Florida locations were Key Largo’s America Outdoors (now
defunct), Lykes Brothers Fisheating Creek, Jonathan Dickinson State Park, and
Fort Wilderness at Walt Disney World. Memorable
big vacations were the “Out West Trip” where Woody and Jo traveled through
National Parks all the way to California dragging a trailer and all five
kids. Another fantastic trip involved
traveling up the east coast to Canada, visiting historic sites in major cities
along the way. Woody finally organized a
trip to visit the great art museums in Europe, bringing wife Jo and son Steve
to see works by Impressionists, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and many more. He would return to Europe with daughter Helen
and Art students from Gulliver Prep HS; and again with wife Jo to visit and see
the Dutch masters in Amsterdam.
Woody
was active at Riviera Presbyterian Church, where his mother Helen was a charter
member. Church was regularly attended on
Sundays and Wednesday evenings by all family members, and it was an important part
of family life.
Woody
and Jo also encouraged Scouting to all their children. Woody was a den father in Cub Scouts, while
Jo lead a Girl Scout troop for both of her daughters. Both Mike and Marc would become Eagle Scouts
at early ages.
Woody
was proud of all of his children.
WORK
Upon
graduating, Woody became employed by Dade County Public Schools. He first taught at Miami Springs Junior High
School in 1957, but would eventually leave and help open the newly built
Riviera Junior High School, a year or two later the Riviera’s Principal grabbed
Woody and two other outstanding teachers to open the newly built Coral Park
Senior High School on Coral Way. Woody taught all forms of Art, including but not limited to:
Commercial Art, Painting, Sculpting and Ceramics.
He also regularly taught Summer School, and at nights in the Adult
Education Program. Woody taught in the
public school system for 26 years before retiring in 1984. Upon retiring, he began teaching Art at
Gulliver Preparatory High School in East Kendall. He expanded their Art program, and stayed
there for seven years. While teaching
there, his son Steve attended. Woody
finally retired for good in 1992.
Woody
greatly impacted many of his students.
Former students of Woody, upon hearing his unusual last name, have
questioned Woody’s children; “Are you related to Mr. Woodmansee the Art
Teacher?” Upon confirmation they more
often than not tell a story of how important and influential he was to them at
that trying time of their lives. A few
of his students took up art and/or teaching as careers.
ART
Woody
always had a passion for Art. He was
dexterously skilled, creative, and determined.
Some of his artistic skills reflected by his portfolio of work
include: Ceramics, Painting (Acrylics
mostly), Drawing, Lettering, Sculpture (several media), Macramé, Stained Glass,
and more. When the blight in the 1970’s
killed most of the Coconut Trees, he went around the neighborhood gathering discarded tree trunks to carve into Tiki heads, which are displayed around the house. He even included his four eldest children
(Steven was too young), and taught them how to carve their own tiki head with
hammer and chisel. When asked what was his
favorite medium, Woody always answered painting. He was especially influenced by impressionistic
style in particular the landscape paintings of A.E. “Bean” Backus. His art was deeply personal, and although he
would share it with family, he never sold any pieces. His home contains the majority of his
collection.
GARDEN & YARD
Woody
was passionate about where he lived, and he displayed his and other people’s
art throughout the home, along with family photos, but he especially loved to
garden, build, and work in his yard.
When
the foundation was being poured for the home, he had previously dug out a small
swimming pool complete with a waterfall using local rock combined with excess
concrete from the slab. This pool would
later be converted to a fish pond when a larger swimming pool was installed. He helped design a Chickee hut with a raised
floor in the backyard that had a chicken coop underneath. Also in the backyard, Woody built a large
concrete statue influenced by primitive Pacific Island Art. Later, he would build and complete a sunken
garden with a small pond next to the patio and pool. This would be caged and turned into a bird
aviary, where he would raise parakeets.
Woody
saw how South Miami was changing, and how the pines and palmettos were
disappearing or dying. In the 1970s he went to the one and only local native plant nursery in Islamorada owned by Donna and Sandy Sprunt to purchase
saw palmettos to relocate in his yard.
He also planted oaks and other native trees. Along with the natives, he was especially fond
of ornamentals such as Bromeliads, Crotons, and Orchids. Staghorn ferns were placed in some of the
oaks as well. Overtime the lawn became
reduced until it finally disappeared in the early 1990’s.
Woody’s
home was part of a Miami-Dade County and Florida Power and Light study to gauge
energy savings in neighborhoods with lots of tree canopy cover. It is recognized in the South Miami
neighborhood as an ideal energy saving landscape. Large trees shade the home reducing cooling
costs, and maintenance is kept at a minimum with no lawn.
Woody
loved working in his yard. He continued
to dig holes and plant shrubs up until his early to mid 80’s. Woody departed in the early morning on October 27, 2018.
Written
by Steven W. Woodmansee, October 29, 2018
