Michael Steven Woodard of Lyme was born in Los Angeles on April 24, 1950, the third son of John Sloan Woodard and Mary Patricia (Shields) Woodard of Butte, Montana. His parents bought the Donner Ski Ranch above Lake Tahoe, California soon after, where Michael spent the first part of his childhood. His family lived in the lodge and his father, an engineer and inventor, was the proprietor, engaging friends and strangers alike while maintaining most everything else on the 500-acre operation––talents he clearly passed on to his youngest son.

Michael attended Marlboro College in Vermont, where he majored in educational psychology and met his wife of 48 years, Barbara Simon, when, in typical fashion, he offered her a ride to the bus station in his Volvo wagon. After marrying in Marlboro in June of 1973, they moved immediately to Lyme, where they have lived ever since, first at the top of Bliss Lane, and now on North Thetford Road.

Michael's contributions to the community were numerous and ineffable. They included his service as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1977-1978, as a founder of the Lyme Foundation, the chair of the Lyme School Board, a commercial real estate broker, and much more. During his lifetime, he was a fourth-grade teacher, a pilot, a sailor, and a lover of nearly everything with a motor. Michael was the "go-to" person for any of his friends or colleagues in need, whether their car wouldn't start, their pipes had frozen, or they had found themselves at any number of life's crossroads. He was knowledgeable about so many things, ranging from aeronautics to tractors, from politics to meteorology. Michael's presence was joyful and outrageous. He could fill up his surroundings––the bright spot in any conversation––be it at the gas pump, over a beer, or on the phone. He was cherished for his quick wit, his fierce loyalty, his broad-ranging expertise, his giving of himself to others at all times. Michael was known to celebrate small milestones that to him were precious: a car turning 300,000 miles, an impromptu dinner with his children, the pattern of a just-mown field, helping a friend finish a project on their house, fixing an old car, watching the sun set over Mooselookmeguntic Lake in Maine. He always owned and adored dogs and had a unique (and often colorful) nickname for everyone he knew. He loved David Brooks, Richie Havens, movies on Turner Classics, old Volvos, his antique Donzi, tractors, and Tanqueray and tonics. There was nobody like him.

Michael passed away on Sunday, February 14, while snowshoeing in the woods with his wife, en route to see one of his best friends. He was a beloved grandfather, father, husband, friend, and community member. He is survived by his wife, Barbara, his older brother, Strohn, his children Cally, Chelsea, and Dawson, his sons-in-law Wyeth and Pete, his daughter-in-law Natalia, his grandchildren Chloe, Olivia, Zephyr, and Peyton, his Jack Russell terrier, Rose, and many dear friends for whom he is irreplaceable.

His friendship, his humor, his deep kindness, his way of being in the world––too large to put into words––was its own kind of poetry. As his brother said the other night at dinner, "he wasn't a perfect person, but he was pretty damn close."

To honor Michael's life-long generosity helping others with whatever he could, his family is in the process of establishing The Michael Woodard Fix-It Fund within the Lyme Foundation to assist Lyme residents in financial need with car or home repairs. Contributions may be forwarded to The Lyme Foundation P.O. Box 292 Lyme, N.H. 03768 (please specify in the note that the donation is for the Michael Woodard Fund).