Woodrow (Woody) Maxwell Gordon Hale died peacefully on June 18, 2023 in Toronto ON. He was 80.

Born in Botwood Newfoundland August 25th, 1942 before Newfoundland officially became part of Canada, Woody left home at the age of 17 with aspirations to serve the Lord while seeing the world. Feeling the Lord’s call to Salvation Army officership very early in his life, Woody subsequently found his way to the College for Officer Training in Toronto where, in 1963, he was commissioned as part of the Servants of Christ Session. This was only after he met Sharon Isley, a beautiful redhead from Vermillion Alberta (and a Hero of the Faith). They skillfully found ways to chastely circumvent the Salvation Army’s strict regulations around courtship, and Sharon became his wife, partner in ministry, and fellow pea in their shared pod.

In fact, Woody’s story is so intertwined with Sharon’s it is hard to tell where one begins and the other’s ends. Criss-crossing Canada from Vancouver Island in the west to St. John’s in the east, they welcomed Barry in Weyburn SK, Garry in Swift Current SK, and Sharilyn in Mississauga ON, along the way. Leading congregations and departments, building new church communities, mentoring young people, and ministering to the needy – economically and spiritually. Given the time commitments involved in these endeavors, by necessity and strategic choosing, they actively involved and engaged their children, cultivating in each of them leadership skills, spirits of service, self-reliance, and inclinations for adventure. He would later grieve his son Barry, a loss he would never get over.

Canada was too small for Woody and Sharon. They raised their hands to serve other places. To the envy of many of their colleagues, this meant the beautiful beaches of Barbados, and later Bermuda. Not there as tourists, they developed a heart for the people and made valuable contributions. Among other things, Woody conducted the first direct mail appeal ever in Barbados by simply calling up the phone company and asking if he could get the phone book list. They agreed and the campaign raised $35,000 in its first year. Today, that same base of donors he seeded and cultivated now generates close to a million dollars per year.

The miles away from family were a constant challenge – whether a city away, a province away, or half a continent away, Woody yearned to have family near him. Visits were always full of planned outings, camping, games, and dedicated one on one time with each of the grandchildren (sometimes putting them 'in the trap'). As the grandchildren got older, visits turned into projects – ranging from DIY home improvements to preparing, planning, and hosting garage sales. Always with the garage sale proceeds going to world missions.

A natural showman (a trait he has passed down to his granddaughter Adelaide), Woody always had a glint in his eye and a mischievous grin, a joke (mostly clean) he could share, and a few tricks up his sleeve…and a song about how much he loved chewing gum. His sense of timing and delivery as a speaker and preacher were legendary and he knew how to create ‘the moment’ of any occasion. He was an actual card-carrying magician for many years (of great interest to his then-young son Garry and later his grandson Trevor), using sleight-of-hand illustrations to share the love of Jesus.

There was also a serious side to Woody which was nurturing of spiritual matters and life in general, and he engaged in conversations that challenged his personal views. He was deeply delighted by how diligently his granddaughter Sarah was pursuing her dreams in education. And there was no one prouder when his eldest granddaughter Jennifer followed in his footsteps to Training College at Welcome Weekend in Toronto, September 2022.

And then there is Israel. Woody and Sharon’s first visit was in 1979 with General Clarence Wiseman and they were hooked – a love for the land, its spiritual significance, and its people. Creating an opportunity to lead, and subsequently becoming experts in, religious pilgrimages to the Land of the Book, Woody and Sharon endeared themselves by offering spiritually transformative experiences to more than 400 people over the years. An astounding number of olive wood figures, and Israeli flags and pins, remain in his apartment.

Retirement? Hardly. While they got their 40-year service pins in 2003 and the family hosted a great bash, the fun didn’t end. Buying and enjoying their first permanent home, camping with grandkids, searching for antique clocks at flea markets and garage sales, more tours to the Holy Land, serving as guests at Officer retreats across the Caribbean, and trips to Florida with dear friends. It was Sharon’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis that marked a different chapter and required them to sell their home and move into a retirement residence. It only took their army of helpers 30 years to sort through and pack all their boxes, files, and collectibles! Evidence of an engaged, creative, and meaningful life.

When the pandemic hit, Sharon had just moved into long-term care and Woody moved in with his daughter Sharilyn and youngest granddaughter Adelaide (for what was expected to be only a few weeks). They felt their mission for the duration was to keep him and Sharon as safe as possible. For almost 2 years, Woody learned to Zoom, played dress-up, made balloon animals, helped with virtual school, cleaned up at UNO and Rumicube, connected with family and friends online…and oh yeah, wrote his life story and published a book. By the time it was safer for him to move into the residence where Sharon had weathered COVID-19, his health and mobility due to spinal disease had declined significantly.

He complained about all the ‘old people’ at the home but also felt it was his new ministry to bring encouragement, share a prayer, give a smile and wink. He initiated a weekly Rumicube tournament, a Billy Graham video session every Tuesday, and just recently was selected for the home’s #ElderWisdom tour to challenge negative stereotypes about aging and showcase the contributions of elders in the community. Even the staff at the residence were uplifted and always remarked there was “something special about Woody”, as he flew along the hallways on his fancy mobility scooter to visit his beloved Sharon and hold her hand each day.

In the last year, he gave what would be his final magic performance, cleared out the remaining boxes of his life, and relied even more heavily on his unwavering faith in God. Poetically, he died in his sleep on Father’s Day. He was a good father. The well-worn bible he had been gifted on Father’s Day 30 years ago, but which he could no longer read due to poor eyesight, was on the table.

He always led with integrity and enthusiasm, was consistently quick to acknowledge kindnesses and accomplishments, and was ‘dad’ and ‘uncle’ to more than his family tree and extending across the globe. He changed the lives of many. Slowed down only by his body, Woody could be impatient and was stubborn to a fault, although some would say self-determined. But he lived with love, was a good and faithful servant, and is now at peace.

Woody leaves Sharon, his wife of 60 years, his son Garry (Lorelei), daughter Sharilyn, and grandchildren Jennifer (Matthew), Sarah (Phaolan), Trevor, and Adelaide. He was predeceased by his son, Barry.

A Celebration of Life for Woody’s life well-lived was held on Sunday June 25th, 2023 at The Salvation Army Oshawa Community Church. The family invites you to consider Woody’s passion for world missions by donating to The Salvation Army’s international development work: https://salvationarmy.ca/what-we-do/around-the-world/international-development/