Dean A. Woods Eulogy
Dean and Thelma Woods
Dean A. Woods
Dean A. Woods was born January 28th, 1909 in Seward,
Nebraska. Tragically, Dean's mother died somewhere during his adolescent years.
When Dean turned 11, his father remarried and he was
adopted by his aunt and uncle Frank and Eva Todd.
Dean graduated from Milford High School in 1928. He then accepted an
apprenticeship with the Milford Review in the spring of 1930 as a linotypist.
Later he accepted a position with the Boomer Agency in Lincoln as a compositor.
On April 27, 1942, Dean was inducted into the army in the 315th
Infantry Regiment 79th Infantry Division Company C. He was eventually promoted
to Second Lieutenant on May 12, 1943 at Fort Benning.
In pre-World War II Lincoln, Dean met Thelma Kohiro, a second
generation Japanese woman whose family owned a restaurant in the Lincoln area.
Dean and Thelma dated for a time and eventually decided to marry. However,
Nebraska law had prohibited inter-racial marriage; Dean and Thelma did not allow
the law to define their love: while on leave in early Spring of 1944, Dean
married Thelma in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The newlyweds only had two weeks to
spend together before Dean was deployed.
While in France, Dean was in a small reconnaissance patrol and crossed
the Aye River. Once across, the patrol encountered a minefield. Dean Woods was
seriously wounded and died July 21st, 1944. Dean was brave enough to yell to the
rest of his squad to not pursue as he knew he would die. With his bravery and
big heart, Dean sacrificed himself so that his brothers could live.
Although Dean's obituary ran in the Milford Review August 17, 1944, the
military did not confirm his death until April 7 1945. His wife, Thelma, never
remarried.
Dean Woods was not willing to allow the law to be the boundary of his
love for Thelma. He is a fine example of rebellion that today could look upon in
the face of injustice and inequality. Dean was even brave enough to sacrifice
the comfort of a friend by his side in the final moments of his life. I am proud
to say that Dean Woods was an American spirit, an American man, who sacrificed
himself for our freedom--like so many others. Freedom is not free, and Dean A.
Woods along with all those who have served in the Normandy campaign, have paid
the price so that we, as well as others, could live a free life in this world.
Dean A. Woods was born January 28th, 1909 in Seward,
Nebraska. Tragically, Dean's mother died somewhere during his adolescent years.
When Dean turned 11, his father remarried and he was
adopted by his aunt and uncle Frank and Eva Todd.
Dean graduated from Milford High School in 1928. He then accepted an
apprenticeship with the Milford Review in the spring of 1930 as a linotypist.
Later he accepted a position with the Boomer Agency in Lincoln as a compositor.
On April 27, 1942, Dean was inducted into the army in the 315th
Infantry Regiment 79th Infantry Division Company C. He was eventually promoted
to Second Lieutenant on May 12, 1943 at Fort Benning.
In pre-World War II Lincoln, Dean met Thelma Kohiro, a second
generation Japanese woman whose family owned a restaurant in the Lincoln area.
Dean and Thelma dated for a time and eventually decided to marry. However,
Nebraska law had prohibited inter-racial marriage; Dean and Thelma did not allow
the law to define their love: while on leave in early Spring of 1944, Dean
married Thelma in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The newlyweds only had two weeks to
spend together before Dean was deployed.
While in France, Dean was in a small reconnaissance patrol and crossed
the Aye River. Once across, the patrol encountered a minefield. Dean Woods was
seriously wounded and died July 21st, 1944. Dean was brave enough to yell to the
rest of his squad to not pursue as he knew he would die. With his bravery and
big heart, Dean sacrificed himself so that his brothers could live.
Although Dean's obituary ran in the Milford Review August 17, 1944, the
military did not confirm his death until April 7 1945. His wife, Thelma, never
remarried.
Dean Woods was not willing to allow the law to be the boundary of his
love for Thelma. He is a fine example of rebellion that today could look upon in
the face of injustice and inequality. Dean was even brave enough to sacrifice
the comfort of a friend by his side in the final moments of his life. I am proud
to say that Dean Woods was an American spirit, an American man, who sacrificed
himself for our freedom--like so many others. Freedom is not free, and Dean A.
Woods along with all those who have served in the Normandy campaign, have paid
the price so that we, as well as others, could live a free life in this world.