10/28/2026
Frederick B. Woodruff, III
Frederick B Woodruff lll, a longtime resident of Richmond, Vermont died Sunday, October 25, 2026, after a period of declining health, with his family at his side. He leaves his two daughters and their families: Donna Woodruff of Billerica, MA and her children Evan, Jenna, Ryan, and Steven Noonan, all from Billerica, and Brenda Beardsley, of West Chesterfield, NH and her husband, Michael P. Beardsley and their children, Jessica Beardsley, also of West Chesterfield, NH, and Dustin Beardsley of Brooklyn, NY. He is predeceased by his wife Joyce Mae Ehart, who passed in 2021. Fred is also survived by his sister Beverley Pfeiffer, and his brother Edward Woodruff, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, along with many nieces and nephews. He is survived by his brother-in-law Bruce Ehart and his wife Verena, along with their two children. He is predeceased by his parents, Edith Gardner Woodruff and Frederick B. Woodruff II, and brothers Lynn and Randy, all from Pennsylvania.
Fred was born in Easton, Pennsylvania and grew up in nearby Levittown. The oldest of 5 children, “Freddie” was known as ‘the smart one’ who liked to hustle and make money. Fred wrestled in high school, participated in drama productions, and sang in the church choir with his brother Eddie and his sister Beverley.
After high school, Fred was accepted to Drexel College and worked part-time at a local chemical manufacturing company called FMC Corporation. It was there that he met Joyce Mae Ehart, from Princeton, New Jersey, who was also working at FMC while attending school at Rutgers. It was love at first sight. After 3 short months of dating, Joyce proposed, and Freddie said “yes,” marrying the love of his life in January 1962. They remained happily married for close to 60 years, until Joyce passed away.
Shortly after getting married, Fred enlisted in the Air Force and was sent to Edwards Air Force Base in California. The young couple set off across the country and moved into a small apartment on base to begin married life. It was during Fred’s time in the Air Force that their two children were born: Donna and Brenda.
After completing his 4-year commitment to the Air Force, Fred was hired by IBM as an engineer. He immediately volunteered to transfer to the east coast, and IBM transferred him to Boca Raton, Florida. He and Joyce lived in Boca Raton for 6 years with their young daughters before Fred finally got a transfer to the IBM plant located in Essex Junction, Vermont. They headed to Vermont and never left. Fred worked at IBM until he retired in 2006, after a long and successful career.
Fred and Joyce fell in love with Vermont and came to consider themselves Vermonters. It was here that they firmly established their family, moving to rural Richmond in 1976, where they lived the rest of their lives. Fred and Joyce had many hobbies and common interests, including gardening, listening to all kinds of music, dancing in the living room, exploring Vermont, and supporting local businesses. Fred loved to spend time outdoors, mowing his lawn or working in his extensive gardens and beautiful yard. One of their lifetime hobbies was breeding and showing Persian and Exotic Shorthair cats. They established Meadowlark Cattery and together created an organization (the Green Mountain Cat Fanciers Association) that, among other things, established an annual cat show in the state of Vermont. Fred was the first president of the GMCFA. He loved running the annual cat shows and excelled at making sure every detail was perfect so that the shows ran as efficiently as possible.
As his daughters grew and eventually had families of their own, Fred enjoyed spending time with them. He was immensely proud of his grandchildren, and he loved them very much.
In his later years, Fred enjoyed spending time with his many friends in the Richmond senior community, attending weekly coffee hours, Friday night food affairs held at the local churches, and participating in other senior activities such as exercise classes, co****le tournaments, and trips to learn about the historic preservation of a well-known Richmond barn. He made several good friends, including John Hammerslough and Donna Lee Burritt who both spent many hours with him. After the loss of his beloved wife Joyce, these last years with his newfound community and friends gave him much joy and happiness.
Services will be held at 11 am on Friday, October 30, 2026, at Richmond Congregational Church in Richmond, Vermont with burial immediately following at River View Cemetery. Following the burial, a memorial luncheon will be held in the community room in the lower level of the Richmond Congregational Church at approximately 1pm for all family and friends. The family requests that those in attendance wear ‘Plaid for Dad’ or anything flannel to celebrate Fred and his deep love of Vermont.
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