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Frank Allen Woods

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Frank Allen Woods

Birth
Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky, USA
Death
13 May 2015 (aged 74)
Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA
Burial
Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA Add to Map
Memorial ID
View Source
December 18, 1940 - May 13, 2015

Frank Allen Woods, age 74, died on May 13, 2015 from complications of Parkinson's disease. Born in Frankfort, Kentucky and raised in Nashville, he is preceded in death by his parents, Allen Woods and Loyce Woods. He is survived by his wife Jayne Ann Woods; daughters, Ashley Woods and Grayson (Russ) Woods Brown; grandchildren, Grayson Jayne and Freddie; brothers, Rondall and Larry (Saralee) Woods; nieces and nephews, and his dog Buddy.Frank's entrepreneurial career began early. In 6th grade, he started with his first paper route, and within several months he had almost doubled his customer base. Frank was a proud graduate of Donelson High School where he was a basketball and debate star and a sometime practical joker. With the help of scholarships, midnight poker games, and a variety of jobs, he spent his college career at Vanderbilt (B.A. 1963, J.D. 1966) becoming a finalist in the National Debate Tournament, serving in the student senate, and campaigning for Democrats. He spent summers working with other Nashville boys in Walla Walla, Washington in a cannery, and stories from these summers have passed into family legend. When asked which of his life's accomplishments he was most proud of, he invariably replied "working my way through Vanderbilt." While in law school, Frank agreed to coach the undergraduate debate team. During this period he met a very special debater, Jayne Ann Owens. They shared a love of debate, politics, and basketball. Married on May 29, 1966, their New Orleans honeymoon lasted only a few days because they were eager to resume campaigning for John J. Hooker in the governor's race. After law school, Frank went to work for Hooker, Hooker, and Willis law firm, then he went to work for Lin Broadcasting. At Lin he had a mentor like none other in Fred Gregg. Gregg taught him the fundamentals of deal making. Frank helped broker deals for Lin, including the purchase of radio and TV stations, an independent record label, and he attempted to buy the Harlem Globetrotters. He went on to run his own businesses, including U.S. Bank, Sun Group, Woods Group, and Woods Capital. He helped launch CMT and Americana cable networks, and brokered a deal for the purchase of Shop at Home network by EW Scripps. Frank was always replete with ideas for new businesses and partnerships. His interest in people and curiosity about life provided him with adventures in business and politics. Frank had a true gift for friendship. If he was your friend, then you had a friend for life. Though his approach to life could often be low-key, his eyes always sparkled with intelligence and humor. Until his Parkinson's diagnosis 12 years ago, he played basketball at the Vanderbilt gym three times a week. He took life with his disease in stride, and he enjoyed many visitors at the Meadows nursing facility. There, all his buddies frequently gathered around him to tell old stories. He will be missed tremendously by his family and friends.

Parent links provided by Betty Kellems Cowart

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December 18, 1940 - May 13, 2015

Frank Allen Woods, age 74, died on May 13, 2015 from complications of Parkinson's disease. Born in Frankfort, Kentucky and raised in Nashville, he is preceded in death by his parents, Allen Woods and Loyce Woods. He is survived by his wife Jayne Ann Woods; daughters, Ashley Woods and Grayson (Russ) Woods Brown; grandchildren, Grayson Jayne and Freddie; brothers, Rondall and Larry (Saralee) Woods; nieces and nephews, and his dog Buddy.Frank's entrepreneurial career began early. In 6th grade, he started with his first paper route, and within several months he had almost doubled his customer base. Frank was a proud graduate of Donelson High School where he was a basketball and debate star and a sometime practical joker. With the help of scholarships, midnight poker games, and a variety of jobs, he spent his college career at Vanderbilt (B.A. 1963, J.D. 1966) becoming a finalist in the National Debate Tournament, serving in the student senate, and campaigning for Democrats. He spent summers working with other Nashville boys in Walla Walla, Washington in a cannery, and stories from these summers have passed into family legend. When asked which of his life's accomplishments he was most proud of, he invariably replied "working my way through Vanderbilt." While in law school, Frank agreed to coach the undergraduate debate team. During this period he met a very special debater, Jayne Ann Owens. They shared a love of debate, politics, and basketball. Married on May 29, 1966, their New Orleans honeymoon lasted only a few days because they were eager to resume campaigning for John J. Hooker in the governor's race. After law school, Frank went to work for Hooker, Hooker, and Willis law firm, then he went to work for Lin Broadcasting. At Lin he had a mentor like none other in Fred Gregg. Gregg taught him the fundamentals of deal making. Frank helped broker deals for Lin, including the purchase of radio and TV stations, an independent record label, and he attempted to buy the Harlem Globetrotters. He went on to run his own businesses, including U.S. Bank, Sun Group, Woods Group, and Woods Capital. He helped launch CMT and Americana cable networks, and brokered a deal for the purchase of Shop at Home network by EW Scripps. Frank was always replete with ideas for new businesses and partnerships. His interest in people and curiosity about life provided him with adventures in business and politics. Frank had a true gift for friendship. If he was your friend, then you had a friend for life. Though his approach to life could often be low-key, his eyes always sparkled with intelligence and humor. Until his Parkinson's diagnosis 12 years ago, he played basketball at the Vanderbilt gym three times a week. He took life with his disease in stride, and he enjoyed many visitors at the Meadows nursing facility. There, all his buddies frequently gathered around him to tell old stories. He will be missed tremendously by his family and friends.

Parent links provided by Betty Kellems Cowart

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  • Created by: BB
  • Added: May 17, 2015
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/146628536/frank_allen-woods: accessed ), memorial page for Frank Allen Woods (18 Dec 1940–13 May 2015), Find a Grave Memorial ID 146628536, citing Saint Georges Episcopal Church Columbarium, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA; Maintained by BB (contributor 47395133).