Alan "Spike" R. Woodruff

Alan R. "Spike" Woodruff, teacher, scout leader, conservationist and caring friend to many, died Jan. 24 at his longtime home in Woodgate. He was 86.

Spike's varied interests and activities spanned many decades and reflected his dedication to his community, public education and the natural environment. He touched countless lives through his work, his volunteer service and friendships.

Born in November 1939, Spike was the son of Robert Brown Woodruff and Adeline May Urban Woodruff. After the death of Adeline in 1949, Bob Woodruff married Dellephene Ferguson in 1952, and she joined him as a loving parent to Spike and his two brothers, Butch and Chuck. Spike gained a little sister, Cathy, in 1958.

A 1958 graduate of Van Hornesville Central School (later known as Owen D. Young Central School), Spike was the class valedictorian and editor of the school newspaper, The Highlights. He graduated from Cortland State College, where he competed on the swim team, with a degree in elementary education in 1962. He found particular joy in teaching children about science.

He retired as an elementary teacher in the South Lewis School District, where he taught from 1963 to 1994, following one year teaching in Horseheads, N.Y. In addition to teaching classes for elementary students, he was a high school swimming coach.

Boy Scouting and the principles of the Scout Oath were abiding values in Spike's life. As a youth, he was a member of Troop 32 of the General Herkimer Council in Van Hornesville, where he became an Eagle Scout in 1957. Later, he received the Silver Beaver Award for his dedication to scouting as an adult, and recently was involved with providing Eagle Scout award kits for the Leatherstocking Council of Scouting America.

Spike joined the summer staff at Camp Russell on White Lake as a college student and continued working there until closure of the camp in 2015. His regular duties and leadership responsibilities included the waterfront and water safety instruction. In 1976, Camp Russell began a High Adventure program, which Spike led for many years. Under his leadership, Camp Russell became a trail base each summer for hundreds of scouts from around the Northeast to be outfitted and led by guides on hiking and canoe treks in the Adirondack Mountains.

Times spent at Camp Russell and with the treasured friends he made through scouting were among the happiest of his life. Many campers recall the songs and ghost stories Spike told with dramatic flair at campfires and other scout gatherings. The stories of "Dangerous Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee" were particular favorites. He was a noted practical joker and a generous giver of thoughtful gifts.

Spike attended the 4th National Boy Scout Jamboree in Valley Forge, Pa., in 1957 and the 7th National Boy Scout Jamboree at Farragut State Park, Idaho, in 1969. And through scouting and his scouting friend Frank DeVito, Spike developed an enjoyment of woodworking, which he continued to employ in recent years to make gifts for family and friends.

When Camp Russell closed, Spike found another outlet for his love of camp activities at nearby Camp Nazareth, where he happily taught fishing to children, including city youth from Utica.

Spike was a longtime leader of the New York State Outdoor Guides Association and, at the time of his death, was a director at large. For many years, he was the editor in charge of producing Guidelines, the organization's newspaper. He held NYSOGA offices including the presidency and worked on development of the state's licensed guide exam in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

In his retirement years, Spike often traveled the state teaching and coordinating driver safety classes as part of the 55 Alive program developed by AARP for older drivers. He also was active in service projects with the local Lions Club and was secretary of the White Otter Fish and Game Club.

A longtime trustee of the Woodgate Library, Spike was a model train enthusiast and maintained an elaborate American Flyer system that he displayed at the library and at community events in Van Hornesville for many years.

Spike had lesser-known interests and talents, as well. His paternal grandmother, Edith Woodruff, taught him to play the piano as a child, and he could be heard delivering vigorous renditions of "Over There" and "As the Caissons Go Rolling Along" on the family piano.

He regularly attended annual ODY school alumni reunions in Van Hornesville, maintained an active membership in the Van Hornesville Community Corporation and continued to attend services at Van Hornesville United Methodist Church, where he was a member for more than 60 years.

The Woodruffs and their cousins in the Blair family also have maintained camps on Piseco Lake for many years, and Spike felt deep connections to that Adirondack place, too.

Spike is survived by his two brothers and their wives, Neil "Butch" and Teresa Woodruff of Ashburn, Va., and Norman "Chuck" and Diane Woodruff of Mohawk; a sister, Cathy Woodruff, and her husband, Mike Goodwin, of Niskayuna; three nephews, Brendan (Emily Dominiak) Woodruff and Corbin Woodruff of Albany, and William Woodruff of California; and cousins Susan Blair Burchard (Bruce) of Houston, Texas, and Jane Blair (Michael Lehtinen) of Loudonville.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of J. Seaton McGrath Funeral Home Inc. 40 West James Street, Richfield Springs. Memorial services are planned for the spring.

Suggested recipients of memorial contributions include the Van Hornesville United Methodist Church, the Van Hornesville Community Corporation, the Woodgate Library, Camp Nazareth  and the Woodgate Volunteer Fire Department.