Death of Dennis Woodland, Emeritus Professor

   Life Stories | Posted on May 25, 2023

Dennis Woodland, emeritus research professor of botany, died on Saturday, May 20, in Milton Freewater, Oregon, after a long, hard battle with cancer. He taught at Andrews University in the Department of Biology for 33 years, retiring in 2012. During that time, he continuously served as curator of the Andrews Herbarium (greenhouse). He also served as curator of the Andrews Arboretum and chaired the Andrews Arboretum Council for 21 years. He has about 50 publications and numerous awards to his credit, including Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (’77), the Daniel A. Augsburger Excellence in Teaching Award (’94), the J.N. Andrews Medallion (’97), Outstanding Service Award from the Michigan Botanical Club (’03) and Andrews’s Ecology & Stewardship Award (’09), to name a few. He also conducted a study tour to Australia, and several tours to the Amazon to study medicinal plants.

He is survived by his wife Betty, daughters Heather Christensen (BJ) and Cherie Hughes (Michael), and grandchildren Liam, Colin and Mason Christensen and Rosalyn Hughes.

Please remember the family in your thoughts and prayers. Further details on a memorial service will be shared when available. If you wish to leave comments for the family, you may do so below.



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Comments

Dennis Woodland was wonderful. I was never his student, but I considered him a friend. I worked in the Science Complex before he retired, and he would often come down to socialize a bit, and he was always incredibly interesting, and just downright FUN. He will certainly be missed. -Nancy Sheppler
Posted by: Anonymous
05/26/2023 at 11:05 PM
Professor Woodland, rest in peace. Amen!
Posted by: Anonymous
05/26/2023 at 09:16 AM
Mr. Woodland was a very special man. I am glad he is no longer suffering. Still, I feel some of your loss. I'm sure it is profoundly huge! Prayers are being sent up for you and virtual hugs being sent out to you. I miss all of you! Love, Sue White-Wein
Posted by: Anonymous
05/26/2023 at 07:43 AM
Dr. Woodland was always very kind, patient, and helpful. He truly cared about his students beyond the grades that his students could achieve. The first time I flew from China to the U.S. to study at Andrews University, Dr. Woodland went above and beyond to ensure my smooth transition. He drove from MI to Chicago O'Hare airport at 4 am in the early morning to pick me up, took me to my apartment at Andrews. He also thoughtfully furnished my new apartment with bed linens, cookware and more, allowing me to settle in seamlessly.... My last interaction with Dr. Woodland was last Christmas, 2022. I proudly shared the news of my older daughter, Susan, got admitted to Harvard University. He extended his heartfelt congratulations to me, then we discussed his recently edited book "Contemporary Plant Systematics". The next day, I ordered that book from Amazon. As I hold that book in my hands today, I am compelled to express my profound gratitude: Dr. Woodland, I truly appreciate you and the time you spent helping me on many occasions. Your patience, kindness, and understanding helped me grow and succeed in the ways that I never thought possible. Thank you for being more than a professor--you were a friend, a mentor, and a role model. I am so grateful for everything you have done for me. Shunrong Zhuang
Posted by: Anonymous
10/12/2023 at 8:53 PM

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