Obituary for Jonathan Gragg Woodman
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jonathan G Woodman, 64, of Alamosa, CO. Jon was born March 2 nd, 1956 in Denver CO to Stanley and Annabelle (Dieckman) Woodman. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Alamosa, traveling with him and his mom in the back of the pickup.
And so his adventures began. He loved his childhood, making memories with his siblings and friends on Berkley Ave, where his dad built the two houses that they lived in. Then, in 1963 when Jon was 7 they moved to the country, living on County Rd 10 S, in the Waverly area for many years. When Jon was 12, his oldest brother and best friend, Steve, went away to college and two weeks later was never heard from again. For two very long years his family looked for him. Finally his remains were found in the mountains above Salt Lake City. This was not an outcome that Jon or his family was hoping for and this affected him his entire life. He always missed his brother Steve and was sure they would have remained best friends into adulthood had they been given the chance. During those two years that Steve was missing, Jon experienced another trauma. He was helping his uncle drill a well and lost his footing, falling backwards and getting his hand caught in the gears of the pump. It crushed his hand and all four of his fingers on his right hand had to be amputated. It was a hard adjustment for a boy his age to make because that was his dominant hand. He was being forced to write with his left hand, which was no easy task and caused him to fall behind in school. One day, an uncle asked him if he could just fit the pencil between his thumb and the knuckle on his index finger on his injured right hand. He tried it and there was no stopping him at that point. Although that time of his life was tough for him, he figured out how to make it a positive experience and moved on. He was asked by a teacher at one point what he wanted to do when he grew up. He told her that he wanted to be a truck driver. She told him he couldn't do that because he only had one hand and he would need them both to drive a semi-truck. Well that was the motivation he needed to finalize his plans for his future.
When he graduated from high school he left the valley and went to work driving trucks in Texas for Ashton Trucking and then for Ralph Owens. The stories of those days stayed fresh in Jon's mind. It was some of the best times in his life. It was then when he met his first wife and mother of his children, Dana. The two of them decided that they would like to get married and they moved back to Alamosa, CO and were married and started their family. Before his first child, Shawnee, was born, he and his dad were flown to Wyoming by Butch Southway and Jon picked up his new 1978 359 Peterbilt truck. It was his pride and joy, other than his family. His mom even wrote a poem about him and his "Big Yellow Peterbilt". He drove his truck over 2 million miles, making lifelong friends along the way and raising his kids in the sleeper, instilling the same work ethic and love of Peterbilt trucks in them that they still value today. As the years went on, he became tired of being away from home so he decided to stop trucking over the road and came back to Alamosa where he ran the Alamosa County Landfill for a few years collecting treasures that had become other people's junk. He then started his own construction business after a few years. He ran a successful business for several years, building many reservoirs, roads, cleaning ditches, building pads, etc. He was a very skilled equipment operator and had made a reputation for himself because of it. The past several years he was asked to come to work for both Absmeier Landscaping & Construction and Rocky Mountain Septic where his skills in both mechanics and equipment operation were an asset to both companies.
During that time he and Dana divorced but remained good friends. A few years later he married Cathy, staying together for several years but unfortunately their marriage also ended in divorce. He met Beth in 2004 and they were together until his passing. He was truly loved by all of them and each share memories of Jon that everybody can forever cherish.
He had 5 of his own children that he loved very much- Shawnee, Jonathan who passed away shortly after birth, Brandon, Dustin and Daniel (Boone), and step-children Shane, Brandi, Cody and McKenna. He loved to tell the story about Shawnee when she was learning to color and was in the sleeper of the truck. He would hit a bump and she would get mad and tell him, "Jon! Stop hitting the bumps!" Nothing made him more proud than when he and Brandon and Dustin worked together on the equipment and showed their skills running the scrapers as a team. He had shown them how to run the equipment when they were 10 & 12 which was something he liked to brag about. He also had 6 grand kids- Matthew, Chanel, Cody, Landon, Lia and Ali and 5 step grandkids- Brooke, Stephanie, Kane and Blade and Christina who he was always ready to share a story, tell them a joke or ensure that they knew what was important in life- Dodge, Peterbilt, Caterpillar and family- not necessarily in that order.
If somebody was asked to describe Jon most people would say that he was a forever friend, loved his family, would help anybody anytime he could, was a skilled equipment operator, was always ornery, loved to tell stories from his past, tried to tell a joke- but not very well, often times telling the punchline at the beginning, and could sit around and "shoot the bull" for hours on end, making people laugh at his silly stories. He was a very talented artist, drawing perfectly detailed sketches of semi-trucks and Caterpillar equipment. He was a huge fan of the old Big Boy Trains and loved to go to the Forney Museum in Denver where they had one on display. He could sit and watch videos of the old trains just going down the tracks, Caterpillar equipment actually moving dirt and Peterbilt trucks hauling cattle! He almost always had a comment or critique about how it could have been done better and if anybody knew, it was Jon. And one thing is for sure, you didn't know Jon Woodman if you never got the chance to drink coffee with him in his underwear!
Jon is preceded in death by his older brother Steve and his infant son, Jonathan. He is survived by his parents Stanley and Annabelle Woodman of CO, his sister Camilla Guymon (Ron) of Washington, bothers David Woodman of California, Jim Woodman Arizona, his daughter, Shawnee (Adrian), his sons Brandon (Arlene), Dustin, and Daniel all of CO, and step-children Cody and McKenna (James) of CO. He is also survived by his grandchildren Matthew of New Mexico, Chanel and Cody both of CO, Landon of Tennessee, Lia of Texas and Ali of CO and step-grandchildren Brooke & Stephanie, Kane and Blade, Lacie, Alexa, Taylor, Rylee and Makayla, and Christina. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Jon will be laid to rest next to his brother Steve and his infant son, Jonathan at a private family ceremony at Rito Alto Cemetery on Saturday, July 18, 2020. If anybody has any questions they can contact one of the family members. Jon didn't like to be sad and always wanted people to be happy. Nothing would make him happier than to have people come, wearing Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots, and tell stories about him and his adventures, laugh and have a good time. He will be with us enjoying the day.
Rogers Family Mortuary is in care of the arrangements. To leave online condolences, tributes and words of strength for Jon’s family, please visit www.RogersFunerals.com
And so his adventures began. He loved his childhood, making memories with his siblings and friends on Berkley Ave, where his dad built the two houses that they lived in. Then, in 1963 when Jon was 7 they moved to the country, living on County Rd 10 S, in the Waverly area for many years. When Jon was 12, his oldest brother and best friend, Steve, went away to college and two weeks later was never heard from again. For two very long years his family looked for him. Finally his remains were found in the mountains above Salt Lake City. This was not an outcome that Jon or his family was hoping for and this affected him his entire life. He always missed his brother Steve and was sure they would have remained best friends into adulthood had they been given the chance. During those two years that Steve was missing, Jon experienced another trauma. He was helping his uncle drill a well and lost his footing, falling backwards and getting his hand caught in the gears of the pump. It crushed his hand and all four of his fingers on his right hand had to be amputated. It was a hard adjustment for a boy his age to make because that was his dominant hand. He was being forced to write with his left hand, which was no easy task and caused him to fall behind in school. One day, an uncle asked him if he could just fit the pencil between his thumb and the knuckle on his index finger on his injured right hand. He tried it and there was no stopping him at that point. Although that time of his life was tough for him, he figured out how to make it a positive experience and moved on. He was asked by a teacher at one point what he wanted to do when he grew up. He told her that he wanted to be a truck driver. She told him he couldn't do that because he only had one hand and he would need them both to drive a semi-truck. Well that was the motivation he needed to finalize his plans for his future.
When he graduated from high school he left the valley and went to work driving trucks in Texas for Ashton Trucking and then for Ralph Owens. The stories of those days stayed fresh in Jon's mind. It was some of the best times in his life. It was then when he met his first wife and mother of his children, Dana. The two of them decided that they would like to get married and they moved back to Alamosa, CO and were married and started their family. Before his first child, Shawnee, was born, he and his dad were flown to Wyoming by Butch Southway and Jon picked up his new 1978 359 Peterbilt truck. It was his pride and joy, other than his family. His mom even wrote a poem about him and his "Big Yellow Peterbilt". He drove his truck over 2 million miles, making lifelong friends along the way and raising his kids in the sleeper, instilling the same work ethic and love of Peterbilt trucks in them that they still value today. As the years went on, he became tired of being away from home so he decided to stop trucking over the road and came back to Alamosa where he ran the Alamosa County Landfill for a few years collecting treasures that had become other people's junk. He then started his own construction business after a few years. He ran a successful business for several years, building many reservoirs, roads, cleaning ditches, building pads, etc. He was a very skilled equipment operator and had made a reputation for himself because of it. The past several years he was asked to come to work for both Absmeier Landscaping & Construction and Rocky Mountain Septic where his skills in both mechanics and equipment operation were an asset to both companies.
During that time he and Dana divorced but remained good friends. A few years later he married Cathy, staying together for several years but unfortunately their marriage also ended in divorce. He met Beth in 2004 and they were together until his passing. He was truly loved by all of them and each share memories of Jon that everybody can forever cherish.
He had 5 of his own children that he loved very much- Shawnee, Jonathan who passed away shortly after birth, Brandon, Dustin and Daniel (Boone), and step-children Shane, Brandi, Cody and McKenna. He loved to tell the story about Shawnee when she was learning to color and was in the sleeper of the truck. He would hit a bump and she would get mad and tell him, "Jon! Stop hitting the bumps!" Nothing made him more proud than when he and Brandon and Dustin worked together on the equipment and showed their skills running the scrapers as a team. He had shown them how to run the equipment when they were 10 & 12 which was something he liked to brag about. He also had 6 grand kids- Matthew, Chanel, Cody, Landon, Lia and Ali and 5 step grandkids- Brooke, Stephanie, Kane and Blade and Christina who he was always ready to share a story, tell them a joke or ensure that they knew what was important in life- Dodge, Peterbilt, Caterpillar and family- not necessarily in that order.
If somebody was asked to describe Jon most people would say that he was a forever friend, loved his family, would help anybody anytime he could, was a skilled equipment operator, was always ornery, loved to tell stories from his past, tried to tell a joke- but not very well, often times telling the punchline at the beginning, and could sit around and "shoot the bull" for hours on end, making people laugh at his silly stories. He was a very talented artist, drawing perfectly detailed sketches of semi-trucks and Caterpillar equipment. He was a huge fan of the old Big Boy Trains and loved to go to the Forney Museum in Denver where they had one on display. He could sit and watch videos of the old trains just going down the tracks, Caterpillar equipment actually moving dirt and Peterbilt trucks hauling cattle! He almost always had a comment or critique about how it could have been done better and if anybody knew, it was Jon. And one thing is for sure, you didn't know Jon Woodman if you never got the chance to drink coffee with him in his underwear!
Jon is preceded in death by his older brother Steve and his infant son, Jonathan. He is survived by his parents Stanley and Annabelle Woodman of CO, his sister Camilla Guymon (Ron) of Washington, bothers David Woodman of California, Jim Woodman Arizona, his daughter, Shawnee (Adrian), his sons Brandon (Arlene), Dustin, and Daniel all of CO, and step-children Cody and McKenna (James) of CO. He is also survived by his grandchildren Matthew of New Mexico, Chanel and Cody both of CO, Landon of Tennessee, Lia of Texas and Ali of CO and step-grandchildren Brooke & Stephanie, Kane and Blade, Lacie, Alexa, Taylor, Rylee and Makayla, and Christina. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Jon will be laid to rest next to his brother Steve and his infant son, Jonathan at a private family ceremony at Rito Alto Cemetery on Saturday, July 18, 2020. If anybody has any questions they can contact one of the family members. Jon didn't like to be sad and always wanted people to be happy. Nothing would make him happier than to have people come, wearing Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots, and tell stories about him and his adventures, laugh and have a good time. He will be with us enjoying the day.
Rogers Family Mortuary is in care of the arrangements. To leave online condolences, tributes and words of strength for Jon’s family, please visit www.RogersFunerals.com