David R. Woolford

Dave Woolford, who in well-chosen prose brought Blade readers a thorough view of the game, the match, the race during more than 39 years as a staff sports writer, died Friday in his Fort Myers, Fla., home. He was 78. Mr. Woolford, a longtime Maumee resident, covered Mid-American Conference sports at the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University and then Big Ten football and basketball. Hed been a voter for the Heisman Trophy and coordinated voting in Ohio for that college football honor. But his real love was auto racing. Mr. Woolford covered auto racing for 36 years at The Blade. He won more than three dozen writing awards and was a former auto racing and motor sports writer of the year. He also belonged to the panel that each year chooses a driver of the year. He was born Jan. 31, 1940, and adopted a year later by Helen and Roy Woolford. His father was a printer for The Blade and the former Toledo Times and was president of his local of the International Typographical Union. He was a 1958 graduate of Libbey High School and an inductee of its hall of fame. He received a bachelors degree from UT, where he was a sports writer and then sports editor of the Collegian. He worked summers in Oregon as a forest Firefighter to pay for college. Dave was a member of St. Pauls Lutheran Church, Maumee, Gateway Trinity Lutheran Church, Fort Myers and Maumee-BG Elks. He enjoyed working out, bike riding, fishing at Devils Lake and following his kids activities. Surviving are his wife, the former Susan Steele, whom he married May 23, 1964; children, Wade (Stefanie) Woolford of Pittsburgh, PA; Wendy (Lewis) Howe of Maumee, OH and Bruce (Sara) Woolford of Columbus, OH; grandchildren, Maddy, Claudia, Cody, Caleb, Ben, Abby, Nathan, Sophia and Nolan. Also surviving is his brother in-law, Robert Wilson of Fremont, OH; nephews and nieces, A.J. (Megan) Ansted, Robert (Magdalena) Cochanski-Rodriguez, Denise Steele Zaiac, Donna (Carl) Steele Chillas, Jean (Tony) Steele Pallas; the Hughes family, Phillys, Larry, Kevin, Doug and David. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister in-law, Barbara Steele Wilson and brother in-law, James Steele. Family and friends will be received at the Maison-Dardenne-Walker Funeral Home, 501 Conant St., Maumee, on Thursday, February 8, 2018 from 2-4 and 6-8 PM. A celebration of Life will be held on Friday, February 9, 2018 at 10:30 AM at St. Pauls Lutheran Church, 112 E. Wayne St., Maumee, OH. The family suggests tributes to The Leukemia Lymphoma Society, St. Pauls Lutheran Church, Maumee; or Gateway Trinity Lutheran Church, Ft. Myers, FL. Online condolences may be shared at walkerfuneralhomes.com