IN MEMORIAM: George F. Woodward, III, Seabury-Western ‘83
The Rev. Canon George Frederick Woodward, III, Seabury Western Class of 1983 -- rector since 2018 of St. Paul's Anglican Church in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and from 1995 to 2018 rector of St. Edmund's Church in San Marino, CA -- died August 24 in an automobile accident while traveling from Mexico City to San Miguel de Allende. He was 70 and was killed instantly at the crash scene. He had planned to retire this November.
Survivors include his sister, Stacy Woodward. Services are pending.
Canon Woodward was a legend in the Diocese of Los Angeles for loving his people so well, for serving the church of Jesus Christ so faithfully, and for standing up for those most at risk, especially victims of injustice in Central America. It was his dream before retirement to do ministry in a Spanish-language setting. His folks at St. Paul's loved him as much as we do and are hard hit today. They'll be praying for us, as I know we do for them, as well as everyone in George's family.
George was an honorary canon in both the dioceses of Los Angeles and El Salvador and served from 2005 to 2017 as vice president of the board of Foundation Crisostal, an El Salvador-based human rights organization that recently suspended operations there due to escalating violence.
Born in Pennsylvania and raised in Ohio, George graduated from Ohio University before receiving his M.Div. from Seabury-Western. He was ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Los Angeles by Bishop Robert C. Rusack in 1984 and served as associate rector of All Saints-by-the-Sea, Santa Barbara, for five years. Thereafter he served two years in the Republic of Turkey as a civilian chaplain at Incirlik Air Force Base and at the British Embassy Chapel of St. Nicholas in Ankara.
Returning to the United States in 1991, George was called as rector of St. Timothy's, Apple Valley, and served as dean of the Eastern Deanery of the Diocese of Los Angeles. He also served on the board of Hillsides Home for Children and chaired the diocesan Program Group on Global Partnership.
