Rob Vanstone: Woodsy held court in Regina sports landscape for 33 years
Warren Woods #WarrenWoods
Warren Woods was a great friend to all — including people he never met.
Woodsy, who died Wednesday afternoon at age 66 from complications after contracting COVID-19 in late November, spent half his life working in the Regina media, endearing himself to listeners and viewers with his folksy manner.
He was the same in person as he was on the air. Few people in the broadcasting business are skilled or genuine enough to pull that off, but he related to people effortlessly and naturally.
Woodsy loved a good joke, a great laugh, and his distinctive cackle was heard far and wide.
There wasn’t an ounce of pretense about him. What you saw was what you got. He was devoid of ego and blessed with a legion of admirers.
On many an occasion, complete strangers would approach Woodsy and tell him how much they enjoyed watching him on Sportsline — several years after the program went off the air, STV having by then morphed into Global Regina.
Woodsy loved to curl, he loved to golf, and he loved to watch his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs.
On many a night, Woodsy could be found at his second home — the Lancaster — enjoying a beer and watching the Leafs. People would approach him, introduce themselves, and spend the rest of the hockey game in his fine company.
It was the same way at Regina Pats home games. Woodsy typically stood on the concourse, as opposed to sitting in the stands or the press box. He would hold court on the south side of the building, enjoying live sports and socializing as amicably as anyone who had ever done it, anywhere.
A true original in so many ways, he was on the set (with anchor Jill Krop) when STV news first aired, on Sept. 6, 1987.
Over the next 30-plus years, spent at STV, Global and CJME radio, Woodsy covered an assortment of celebrities — everyone from Darian Durant to Jordan Eberle to Sandra Schmirler — while becoming highly recognizable in his own right.
Woodsy was instantly, eminently likeable, right from the start at CKSO radio in his hometown of Sudbury, Ont.
He spent five years at CKSO before working in television as a sports director in Timmins, Ont. (for two years) and Thunder Bay (six).
Then he moved to Regina and made our city his permanent home, becoming a fixture in so many living rooms.
We thought he would be around forever, in part because he was seemingly impervious to the aging process. He had a full head of hair without even a touch of grey.
Then he was stricken with the coronavirus.
A GoFundMe page was established Jan. 4 to help out Woodsy during what was expected to be an extended recovery period.
The goal of $50,000 was eclipsed within a day.
Such was the outpouring of love and support for Woodsy, his son, and his daughter.
He simply beamed when talking about Nicole and Chris. He cherished every second he could spend with them. Yet, he treated everyone like family.
Few people have that gift, that way with people.
That is why we are all so devastated today. We know what Warren Woods brought into our lives for all these years. And we know what we have lost.
rvanstone@postmedia.com
twitter.com/robvanstone