Warren "Woody" Sumner passed away at 9:20 PM on February 10, 2004 at the Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD.

Funeral services were held on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in the Grace Lutheran Church at Watertown with the Rev. Gary Westgard officiating. Organist was Eugene Doutt.

Burial was at the Mount Hope Cemetery at Watertown. Honorary pallbearers were his nieces and nephews and the Saturday morning golfers. Active pallbearers were Dick Paulson, Bob Paulson, Lee Paulson, Dave Paulson, Paul Paulson Jr., Jeremy Paulson, Dann Schwinger, Gary Young and Bob Nygaard.

He was born March 19, 1938, at Watertown to Gerald S. and Ruth H. (Gutgesell) Sumner. He attended school in Florence.

He married Dianne Joan Paulson Jan. 29, 1960, at Florence. He was employed by Highway Sinclair. In 1963, the couple moved to Garretson to farm for 10 years. They returned to Watertown in 1973 where he worked for Dakota Welding Supply until 1984. He then worked for Tessier Sheet and Metal until illness forced him to retire Feb. 1, 2002.

He was a member of the Grace Lutheran Church. He was an avid Arrow and Viking fan and served as president of the Quarterback Club. He was recently honored by Joe Young Trucking as a "Legend of the Game" for his involvement and love of the sport of softball. He enjoyed fishing, golfing, playing with his grandchildren and life in general.

Survivors included his wife, Dianne of Watertown; one son, Joe and his wife Amy Sumner of Brandon; two daughters, Tammy and her husband George Whitewolf of Amherst, Va., and Tanya and her husband Wayne Terry of Sioux Falls; five brothers, Lon and his wife Mona Sumner of Sacramento, Calif., Harvey and his wife Mona Sumner of Carolina Beach, N.C., Larry Sumner of Florence, Wayne and his wife Carol Sumner of Rapid City and Danny and his wife Karen Sumner of Watertown; two sisters, Linda and her husband Dick VanCleave of Lino Lakes, Minn., and Janice and her husband Bob Paulson of Watertown; one brother-in-law, Dave Westwood of Pensacola, Fla.; one sister-in-law, Donna Sumner of Watertown; and six grandchildren.

Joe and Amy with Woody

The following are some thoughts and a poem written by Amy Sumner (Joe's wife) concerning Woody:

We have all spent a great deal of time visiting about the good times and as we all know, with Woody there had been many good times. Woody had been such a blessing to me and I know all of you. It is very difficult to find another man, in my opinion, with the heart of Woody Sumner. He was a man of integrity, kindness, and joy. He was a man that was not afraid to say I love you, to cry or to cheer at the top of those darn lungs. He was so incredibly loving, funny and just plain a good egg.

Amy wrote the following poem on Monday nite as they all surrounded Woody, watched the numbers on his monitor change, wondering and waitings. Amy said, "Trust me, I'm no poet but it's my heart on paper I guess. I loved "my Woody" as much as a daughter-in-law possibly could. He told everyone I was his favorite daughter-in-law...then he pointed out that I was the only one and he thought he was so darn funny!" Here it is...

A Tribute To Woody By Amy Sumner

Watching the monitor, waiting to see What will be the numbers, that take him from me? His oxygen is dropping His heart is racing Watching and praying, crying and pacing His eyes, his hair, his hands, I study his face The sound of him breathing embodies this place Watching the monitor It used to bring fear Watching the monitor, the end is near Keep talking to dad, He knows you are here He hears every prayer, sees every tear Watching the monitor Waiting to see What will be the numbers That take him from me Holding his hand Kissing his cheek Staring at "my Woody" It's so hard to speak

How did I get so lucky How could I be so blessed To be the "favorite daughter-in-law" To simply the Best! A man so beloved, funny and kind Wonderful memories flood into my mind The fishing, the tickling--ending up upside down, The talks, the cries, the things that set him apart The thought of missing him breaks my heart None can love my kids quite like him The ballgames, sidelines and time in the gym A great example of what a dad should be Loving, nurturing...always there, you see "He's just like his father" grandma will say Another blessing I thank God for when I pray Thank you Woody for raising this man The love of my life and your greatest fan I love you more than my words can say. No more watching the monitor, for his angels now I pray.

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:15
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 One of my favorites!

Some more thoughts from Amy:

It is with a peace that surpasses all understanding that the Sumner family would like to tell you that Woody has gone home to be with the Lord. He was surrounded by family and he peacefully left us around 9:30 that Tuesday evening. We sang Amazing Grace, Jesus Loves Me and as we said our goodnight prayer our dear sweet Woody took his final breath. Diane was caressing his cheek and speaking softly into his ear, giving the man she's loved for 44 years permission to go home. It was an incredibly sad time for all of us and we cried a thousand tears but we all know that Woody is walking streets of gold right now and surrounded by more family and friends. I'm sure his reunion is one of rejoicing; it's hard to imagine meeting Jesus face to face.

Please know that we felt each and every prayer that lifted our family up in this terribly sad time. We know that we have been blessed to know, love and be loved by such a wonderful man.

Amy wrote another poem that follows as Woody was journeying home and all the stories were spilling throughout the room. Amy claims not to be a great poet but her words do come from her heart.

Family Memories Of Woody By Amy Sumner

A teen bride and a young man full of pride Living on love, scared deep inside Nothing came easy, many times were rough Who would have thought they could handle this stuff A baby, a trailer, many family close by Nothing came easy, they continued to try Working hard, trials came and went One paycheck and the money always spent Another baby, and then a boy These three children, their pride and joy They would say that they never had much Ask these three kids, they'd say that had a bunch Pants with patches, socks with darns A job in Garretson, cows, crops and a barn Dianne with a garden, she was canning it all A big back yard for playing football A "Linus" tree, the packages were few The kids remember a great Christmas...who knew Fond family memories of much time spent together The greatest of times, great memories forever Back to the north, to the gold and purple pride Watching their kids as Arrows overwhelmed them inside Nothing came easy...work, family, running Few had a better mom or a dad so funny

Few kids so blessed with an awesome mom and dad The thought of losing one, makes them so sad Nothing comes easy, too soon it's dad's breath What's happening in his lungs, will it cause him his death It came much too fast We remember the past Nothing comes easy, the words hard to find About a father, so loving, full of joy and so kind So much about him that we will miss His laughter, his joking, his hugs and his kiss Nothing comes easy, we each whisper in his ear Nothing comes easy, they say the time is near You're not even gone and already we miss you so much One man and so many lives that you have touched Nothing comes easy, his journey, his way Does he have to suffer, to fight for breath this way Lord we ask you to take him into your loving care To see him struggle is more than we can bear Send him your angels, give him his wings Of all of our many prayers, we ask you these things He makes us smile, yet we're sad, we cry To say our hearts aren't breaking would certainly be a lie Open the gates Lord, have your arms open wide Please dear Jesus, welcome this man full of pride

Tamara in 1961

Tamara at her Dad's bedside

Tamara, Diane, and Woody in 1962

Tanya, Diane, Joe, Woody, and Tamara in 1966

Ron, Pearl, Marlys, Diane Woody, Joan, Roger, Bonnie, and Judean
at the Albertson's for Phyllis and Richard's wedding in 1964

Paulson Family at the Rislov Reunion in 2002

Diane and Howard fixing a BIG batch of donuts

Dewey and Kyle

Tanya

Joe, Woody, and Dann

Woody at the 2002 reunion

A benifit pancake feed was held in honor of Woody's passing. About 60 donated items were sold in various silent auctions and they also had a bake sale at the event.

Rita Lunde from Florence won the above quilt made by Pearl Paulson's sister.

Joe and Amy's daughter Emelia selling quilt raffle tickets to Janice.

The following comments concerning Woody are from Greg Rislov:

Woody Sumner was one-of-a-kind. Anybody who knew him didn't forget him. He was Florence; he was a Sumner; and he was a perfect fit for the Paulson/Rislov family. In terms of money Woody was not born rich nor would he become rich. Fortunately, that one and very poor measure of a man's life had little to do with defining Woody.

Woody was one of those guys who could get away with saying anything at any time. You couldn't hold it against him even if you were on the receiving end. He was tall tales, self effacing, and he knew his Paulson brothers-in-law needed him to keep them in their places. Or so he thought and they discovered.

Woody, as is true with most Florence families of that era, came from a large family. The Sumners saw more than their share of hardship, yet amazingly, those who persevered were and remain of uncommonly good nature. It is a tribute to the family to weather such hardship not only unbowed, but somehow stronger than most.

There is a tendency at funerals to tell anecdotes about the past and how the man which we honor was a central figure in those anecdotes. Fortunately or unfortunately, there will never be enough time to spill all of the stories about this man. He was a breath of air to most of us Norwegian descendents. We went from shock, to acceptance, to laughter. It did of course take about twenty years, but we got there.

If there is any regret it must be in Woody's love for sports and how his time was cut too short to watch all his relatives make their way. He has grandchildren, nephews, and cousins preparing for him to brag about. While he no longer will be able to do it here, rest assured he will do it there. It is highly unlikely that anyone, mortal or immortal, will be able to keep him quiet.

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