Obituary of James "Woody" Clinton Woodman

James "Woody" Clinton Woodman was born in Yakima, Washington to James Nelson Woodman and Virginia Rae Carden. He joined his two sisters, Karen Lynne and Mary Diane. Jim died at age 55 at the Center At Centennial on March 29, 2019 from long-term severe injuries that he incurred as a fireman-paramedic with the West Haven Fire Department in Connecticut. On October 5, 1999, he was in the back of a fire rescue truck administering first aid to a young injured girl being transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital when another van failed to yield the right-of-way to an emergency vehicle and broad-sided the rescue truck. He and the others in his van survived but Jim suffered catastrophic injuries including a traumatic brain injury and was not expected to live more than a few years. In 2003, he was moved to be near family in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He lived in two skilled nursing facilities that cared for him for the last sixteen years. Jim wanted to be a fireman ever since he was a young boy. As he grew up he wanted to help injured people and became a paramedic. Later when the opportunity came to join the West Haven Fire Department, he jumped at the opportunity and successfully completed the state's fire academy. He was injured on the second day with the Fire Department.Jim will be missed by his family, his friends, and his caregiving family at the Center At Centennial. Despite his inability to speak, he blessed many people over the years who met him.He is survived by his father, James; step-mother, Lynn; sisters, Karen Lynne (Kenneth) Van Riper and Mary Diane Woodman; brother, Mark Alan (Kristina) Woodman; nephews, Kyle Van Riper, Sam Woodman, Caleb Woodman and Joseph Woodman; niece, Anna Woodman; and step-father, Jim Allen. He was preceded in death by his mother, Virginia Allen.Celebration of Woody's Life, 10:00AM, Saturday, April 13, 2019, The Springs Funeral Services-North, 6575 Oakwood Boulevard, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80923.Interment, immediately following, Evergreen Cemetery, 1005 Hancock Expressway, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903. Memorial contributions may be made in Jim's memory to Beth-El Center Homeless Shelter, 90 New Haven Avenue, Milford, Connecticut 06460 or National Fallen Firefighter Foundation, P.O. Drawer 498, Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727. Events Funeral Service Saturday, April 13, 2019 10:00AM The Springs Funeral Services - North 6575 Oakwood Blvd. Colorado Springs, CO 80923 Phone: 719-207-8611 Final Resting Place Evergreen Cemetery 1005 Hancock Expressway Colorado Springs, CO 80903