Roger A. Woodley

Roger A. Woodley, 80, of Orion, died, Thursday, January 25, 2018, at Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, January 29, 2018, Esterdahl Mortuary & Crematory, 6601 38th Avenue, Moline.  Visitation will be 1-4 p.m., Sunday, at the funeral home.  Burial will be at Western Township Cemetery, Orion.  Memorials may be made to the Orion Booster Club.

Roger was born on September 22, 1937, in Galesburg, the son of Roy and Mabel Wonick Woodley.  He married Marilyn “Mickey” Keleher on November 29, 1958, in Orion.  He was the owner/operator of Highland Packing Company in Colona, IL, since 1969 and was still very active in the business until recent weeks.

Roger was very active in the communities of Orion and Colona. He was very generous with both his time and resources donating to many fundraising events and charitable organizations in both towns. He was voted “Citizen of the Year” in Colona in 1985 and served as the Grand Marshall of the Memorial Day Parade. Roger served on the planning commission and zoning board of appeals for the village of Orion. He was a member of Orion Lions Club and worked with the Orion Fall Festival benefit for dozens of years cooking meals and serving as a judge for the pie eating contest. He received a special recognition award at the 2007 Orion Fall Festival for his volunteer efforts.

Roger had a passion for sports as a participant, sponsor, coach and fan. He played fast pitch softball for Bon Aire, golfed at Valley View Country Club in Cambridge and bowled in leagues in both Orion and Cambridge. He sponsored little league, softball, bowling and golf teams in Orion, Colona and Cambridge. Roger coached Orion Little League and American Legion baseball for many years and could be seen walking the sidelines at Charger football games for over 40 years. He was a founding member of the Orion Booster Club, which helped raise funds for a new track and football field in 1975, and was elected to the Orion High School Hall of Fame in 2015. When the Orion Youth Football program started in 2005 and the teams didn’t have a place to practice, Roger carved out a little piece of his farm near Love Park and built a field so the kids had a place to learn the game. He served as a board member at Valley View and was instrumental in building an additional nine holes of golf, which were completed in 2001. Attending football, basketball, volleyball, track, soccer, golf, baseball and softball games for his kids and grandchildren occupied much of his time and gave him a great deal of enjoyment.

He was an avid Packer, Illini, Cub and White Sox fan. Annual trips to the frozen tundra at Lambeau Field with his family and grandchildren were among his fondest memories. He loved Vince Lombardi and was fortunate to attend the Packers’ Super Bowl win over Pittsburgh in Dallas in 2010. His favorite Lombardi quote was, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” Roger was committed to excellence in his relationships with family, friends, community and business. He will be greatly missed.

Survivors include his wife, Mickey Woodley; children, Rod (Teresa) Woodley, Coal Valley, Ronda (Bruce) Marshall, Orion, and Russ (Tamra) Woodley, Orion; seven grandchildren, Kayci, Royce, Sara, Jason, Kassie, Karissa and Kelsey; great-granddaughter, Jayde; sister-in-law, Joyce Woodley, Orion; and many dear friends.  The Woodley family would like to give a special thank you to the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House and Kay Manecke.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and brother, Ronald Woodley.