Biography: John K. Woodruff, III, age 65, of Little Rock, died March 27, 2007. He was born in Fort Smith on June 29, 1941 to the late John K. Woodruff, II, and Helen (Parker) Woodruff. Survivors include his wife, Dianne (Gage) Woodruff; daughters Julie Wetzel and husband Rowland of Depaw, Indiana, Lisa Woodruff-Miyaguchi and husband Ron of Eugene, Oregon; son, Michael Woodruff of New York, New York; three grandchildren, Victoria, Greyson, and Lena; a sister, Suzy Yocum and husband Jim of Edmond, Oklahoma; step-brother, Bernie Lantz of Ogden, Utah; step-sister, Rebecca Lantz of Bentonville; and a host of friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, and an infant brother, Jimmy Woodruff. A journalist/editor/photographer, John approached every individual he encountered as a “good story” to explore and record. When asked to share his experiences and challenges through the obstacles of the last six years, he would talk about the need for life with passion. His were running, building relationships, his family and friends, a sense of humor and faith–faith in others, his peers and God. His philosophy was simple: set goals to have hope. A heart defect at birth kept him from running as a child. He underwent open-heart surgery in 1959 by Dr. Denton A. Cooley in Houston. Despite his obstacles with health, he considered himself blessed. On one occasion when speaking to a group about his experiences, he said, “Luckily, I have been able to keep running. I could not run as a child. ‘Johnny, don’t run,’ were the words my parents repeated to me. OK, so I am in my second childhood. Hey, I couldn’t run as a child. So I am having fun now. We all need to “go for it”: Have goals, hold on to our humor and faith, cherish our friends and relationships, be positive and have fun!” That he did. In the last 30-plus years, he logged more than 41,000 miles of running, completed 48 marathons; eight of them since being diagnosed with cancer and six while on chemotherapy. He completed the Pike’s Peak Marathon 11 times. In 2006, he was named to the Arkansas Runners Hall of Fame. He served as president of Sigma Delta Chi, the Society of Professional Journalists, and loved to participate in the Society’s bi-annual presentation of the Farkleberry Follies. A member of First United Methodist Church, he served on its Executive Board, Communications Committee and Child Development Center board. He was especially proud of his opportunity to teach several adult Sunday school classes there as well as at Good Shepherd Ecumenical Retirement Center. In 1963 on a photo assignment at the Fort Smith airport, he shook hands with President John F. Kennedy, an experience he treasured forever. He photographed President Kennedy again in the fall of 1963 when he spoke at the dedication of Greer’s Ferry Dam at Heber Springs. He was just as proud years later to shake hands with and photograph a friend and neighbor he deeply admired and who also became president, Bill Clinton. He graduated from Van Buren High School in 1959 and from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville with a BA degree in philosophy in 1963. He was a photographer for the University’s student yearbook, the Razorback, and student newspaper, the Arkansas Traveler. He was a reporter for the Northwest Arkansas Times from 1964 to 1967. From 1967 to 1969 he worked for the Louisville Courier-Journal. In 1969, he received his master’s degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. In August 1969, he began working as a reporter for the Arkansas Gazette. A notable news story he covered at the Gazette was the late-night telephone call to the paper from Martha Mitchell, wife of U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell, during the Watergate scandal. He also was the North Little Rock beat reporter until the paper was sold in 1991. At that time, the city named the press room in City Hall in his honor. From January 1992 to the present, he was communications coordinator at the Arkansas Municipal League and editor of its magazine, City & Town, a job he adored and where he extended his network of municipal friends statewide and across the country. John asked to especially express his love and thanks to Dr. Lawrence Mendelsohn and all the staff at Little Rock Hematology-Oncology who were his faithful caregivers and friends. His family joins him in that expression. Visitation will be 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Friday, March 30, 2007 at Ruebel Funeral Home. Memorial services are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 31, 2007, at First United Methodist Church, Little Rock, officiated by Rev. Dr. Michael Mattox. Graveside services are private. Honorary Pallbearers are the members of the Tuesday Morning Men’s Bible Study Group, and the members of the Arkansas Pikes Peak Marathon Society. Memorials, in lieu of flowers, should be made to the American Cancer Society, 901 N. University, Little Rock, 72207; Angel Flight, International, 4310 Amelia Earhart Dr., Addison, TX 75001; or First United Methodist Church, 723 Center St., Little Rock, 72202. Funeral arrangements are by Ruebel Funeral Home of Little Rock, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.