Leonard Don “Donnie” Wooddell, age 66, of Newbern, North Carolina, formerly of Slaty Fork, passed away Wednesday, March 1, 2017. Born October 27, 1950, in Pensacola, Florida, he was a son of the late Brent and Gladys Wooddell. Donnie was a 1968 graduate of Franklin County High School in Columbus, Ohio. Under the tutelage of his father, he became a master watch repairman. He moved to Marlinton and opened Don's Jewelry Store on Main Street. In 1979, Don began working at Snowshoe as a security guard, where he met his wife, Paris. They later moved to North Carolina, where he worked in commercial fishing and the construction industry. He was skilled at piloting a commercial fishing vessel in the Pamlico Sound area of the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Donnie was an avid hunter in his younger years and was a sharp shooter. While living in West Virginia, he enjoyed fishing the Elk River for rainbow trout; and had a passion for gigging for flounder in local waters around Cedar Island, North Carolina. He was well-known for his sense of humor, kind heart and generosity. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Paris Flanagan-Wooddell; and his eldest sister, Barbara Eck. He is survived by his siblings, Carolyn Eilertson, and husband, Sidney, of New Bern, North Carolina, William Wooddell, and wife, Lisa, of Corapeake, North Carolina, Kay Hogan, and husband, Mike, of Earleville, Maryland, and Sandy Wooddell-Willhite, and husband, Brian, of Hillsboro; a step-daughter, Elizabeth Lancaster, of Porterwood; step-son, Jerry Strum, of Porterwood; and many grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Donnie will be sadly missed by his friends and coworkers. Arrangements are incomplete at this time.
