I was Blessed with parents who were both Spirit-filled Believers and creatively gifted. They did not use their gifts selfishly, but instead, sought to use them to glorify God. In the case of my Father, Hollis Woodard, he was called to teach. For most of his life he was a Sunday School teacher, as well as a lay minister for senior centers in the area. My parents would often work together, with my Mother providing the music ministry, and my Father preaching the Word.
The Great Flu Panic of 2020, while inconvenient, provided me time to dig deep into their work. And it is with great pleasure to post some of it here, sharing it with the world. Read the content below, and follow the links to see his work.
The following summary was created as part of a family history project for the Tinney family – his Mother’s family. It was written in 1989 by my Father and is the most detailed life summary I have found from him. I hope you enjoy. — Harrison Woodard
Hollis Hood Woodard
(1917 – 2009)
Hollis H. Woodard
I grew up in Sharon, an unincorporated area in Wood County, Texas, the oldest of thirteen children. As the oldest, I was the trailblazer, first to go to school and first to graduate high school. My education started at a little country school called Webster, just South of Winnsboro. And then I attended and eventually graduated from Winnsboro High School. And in 1938 I completed a Business Course at Tyler Commercial College in Tyler, Texas.
The depression was well underway during my school years. Life on a farm became our means of survival, as we grew our own food, and sold and traded what we had leftover. I have many memories of that period of my life, in fact my back still hurts when I think of picking cotton. I was never able to pick much, but did the best I could. We grew quite a bit of corn, and I still remember the Saturday mornings my brothers and I would go to the corn crib and shuck and shell corn to be made into corn meal.
We always had cows to milk and milking cows in the early morning was part of my job. After milking, I walked to school. For comparison, my Son had to have a car to drive two miles to his high school in Longview*.
After I finished school in Tyler, I returned to Wood County and worked in the Court House in Quitman, Texas. This continued until February of 1942 when both my brother Frank and I were both drafted into the Army. And before the war ended, five Woodard brothers would serve overseas.
H. L., Frank, and I were sent to North Africa, and later the Italian front from 1943 to 1944. H. L. and Frank returned home in 1944. I took part in the invasion of Southern France, where I met another brother, Virgil. We were in contact for the rest of the war, and landed in Austria when the war ended. My brother Joe was sent to the Pacific where he saw action in the Philippines. I was in the service from February 1942 through October 1945.
I was in the 2nd Field Artillery Observation Battalion and our job was to locate enemy guns by sound and flash. At discharge, I was a Technical Sergeant and the Battalion Sergeant Major. I lost my two best friends the first week we were in combat. Sherman was right when he said, “War is hell.” The army is probably alright in peacetime, but if you happen to get into combat, you grow old fast.
After my discharge in October 1945, I returned to Wood County and took a job at the reenlistment center at Camp Fannin in Tyler. I worked there until June 1946 when I entered the University of Texas at Austin.My intention was to become a lawyer, but after one year I decided I wasn’t lawyer material and switched to the School of Business and majored in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations.
After graduation, I was hired by Lone Star Steel Company in Daingerfield, Texas. I worked there for 34 years before retiring in August 1984. I spent some time in the accounting department, but spent the majority of my time handling the employees’ insurance and supervising the maintenance of medical records for four thousand employees. If I learned anything during those 34 years it would be that there is a joy in helping your fellow man.
One good thing that came from my time at Lone Star Steel was that I met my wife there. She worked with me for a while and a year later, we were married. People have asked why I became a Methodist, and I always tell them that I had to because I married a Methodist Preacher’s daughter. That was not the only reason, but I have fun telling that.
My wife was a graduate of Southern Methodist University, and also took classes at Oklahoma City University earlier. She had worked for the Texas Extension Service before Lone Star Steel. We married late in life, and I was 39 before our first child was born. We have three children – two girls and a boy. Our two daughters majored in music at Southern Methodist University. One teaches music in Mesquite Independent School District. The other is an office assistant, and as a children’s choir director in her church. Our son also graduated from Southern Methodist University earning a degree in Advertising Management. He works for an advertising agency in Dallas. When I think about the problems we had raising and educating our three, I can appreciate the job my parents did with our 13.
Until I left home in 1942 I was a member and attended the Sharon Missionary Baptist Church. After getting married I joined the First United Methodist Church in Longview, Texas. My wife was a member there and sang in the choir. Later, we moved West and joined Greggton United Methodist Church. She joined the choir and became a regular soloist. The two girls also participated in the music department. I joined to be with my family. I have enjoyed the church, and have been president of the Methodist Men’s organization for one year. For several years I have been one of the teachers of the Men’s Bible class. Usually, this is a large class. with as many as forty men. I also serve on the Administrative Board of the church.
My wife and I lead a worship service each month at one of the local nursing homes in Longview. My wife has been going for about eight years, inviting different young preachers to speak. Preachers became so busy that she could not get any to go, so she asked me to participate and lead a short devotional. She leads the residents in singing the old religious songs. Then, she sings a solo for them, and occasionally sings one of her own compositions.
We built a home here in Longview in 1955, and sold it in 1964 when we bought our present home. We moved about a mile, so you can see we have been here a while.
I am glad the good Lord has let me stay around to see my children grown and let me see my grandchildren grow and thrive. Life has been good to me. I like to make friends and help when there is a need. I enjoy teaching my Sunday School class, and always look forward to our visits to the nursing home.
*Note: Did you catch my Father’s shout out to his lazy son? Thanks Dad! I love you for understanding the needs of teens circa 1981. Be it known, for most of my educational career, I walked to/from school, uphill both ways, in all weather conditions, approximately 0.7 miles. But thankfully, I did not have to milk cows before school. BTW – It was 2.6 miles to my high school.
Stories Written By Hollis Woodard
The Woodard Boys Go to World War II
Part 1 – In The Army Now
Part 2 – Sailing To Africa
Part 3 – From Oran To Naples
Part 4 – Monte Cassino
Part 5 – Rome
Part 6 – Operation Dragoon
Part 7 – Victory In Europe
Part 8 – Bronze Star
Letters By
Hollis Hood Woodard
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