Son of Horace Eugene Allred and Mary Elizabeth Mower
Husband of Lorraine Williams and Nellie Margaret Borens
Woody Allred always said that as a young man, he learned a valuable lesson from his father: Sometimes it pays not to take your parents' advice.
Woody, a well-known artist, florist and designer from Pleasant Hill, might have lived a life of frustration and regret if he'd listened to his father counsel to get a "real job."
Woody's dad didn't think his son could make a living painting pictures, so he urged the boy to find something more stable, something that came with a steady paycheck, good insurance and a nice pension. But the artist in Woody wouldn't hear the words. Some way, some how, he would find a way.
The immense talent Woody possessed was noticed when the boy was just 6 years old. He drew a picture of a horse and his first-grade teacher was flabbergasted. It wasn't the typical kid's picture of a large rectangle with four legs. Woody's horse looked like a horse.
In high school in Salt Lake City, Woody studied under a strict but talented teacher who made his students draw until their fingers ached.
"He wanted us to be able to draw in our sleep," Woody said. The teacher also recognized Woody's talents and urged him to attend the California School of Fine Art in San Francisco.
Working nights as a busboy, Woody studied at the academy and then transferred to the Chicago Academy of Art. He took classes at night and worked as a commercial artist during the day. His first job was with Carlton Display Studios, and his first big assignment was producing the posters that advertised the 1939-40 World's Fair.
From there, Woody went to Hollywood, where he became an artist with Fox West Coast Studios. Officials there quickly tabbed him to be the official portrait artist to the contract players, and in his time there, he painted 2,000 actors.
"Myrna Loy, Jeannette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Spencer Tracy," Woody told friends. "I did them all."
Lithographs of the paintings were displayed outside almost every movie house in the country, and now are considered big ticket collectors' items.
Woody's Hollywood days were interrupted by World War II. He enlisted in the Navy and spent the early part of the war drawing silhouettes of airplanes and ships. The drawings were used to teach recruits how to tell the difference between enemy craft and allied ships. Later, he was assigned to the Signal Corps.
When the war ended, Woody returned to California, and he and his wife, Nellie, settled in Berkeley. As giddy as the United States was in the post-war years, Woody worried that he wouldn't be able to support his growing family so he shifted his emphasis and used his art background for floral and commercial design.
He became a partner in the Fred Seulberger floral shop in Oakland and later had his own business in Pleasant Hill. Woody's daughter, JoAnne, says her father worked mostly out of their home. He specialized in elaborate displays and holiday decor. Many of his clients were established in San Francisco's financial district, but he also did ornate wedding arrangements.
Woody's floral designs graced the reception tables at Rudy Vallee's wedding, and his intricate outdoor Christmas displays caught the attention of cartoonist Charles Schulz, who retained Woody to create the Swiss chalet murals at an ice rink Schulz built in Santa Rosa.
And through it all, Woody kept painting and drawing. He produced mostly landscapes, and many of his paintings hang in Mormon temples and churches around the country. One of JoAnne's favorite works is of a rustic barn nestled at the foot of Mount Diablo.
Woody loved Contra Costa County, JoAnne says. It saddened him to leave Pleasant Hill about eight years ago, but his health was failing and he and Nellie, his wife, wanted to live closer to their daughter. They settled in Vacaville.
When Woody retired from his design business, he dedicated himself to his painting. He'd rise every day at 5 a.m. and paint for 10, 12, 15 hours.
A couple of years ago, Woody suffered a stroke, which robbed him of his fine, steady hand. He told JoAnne he could still draw, but not with the detail and skill he once had, and so he stopped drawing at all.
Woody died Wednesday. He was 81.
Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA)
Date: October 18, 1997
Husband of Lorraine Williams and Nellie Margaret Borens
Woody Allred always said that as a young man, he learned a valuable lesson from his father: Sometimes it pays not to take your parents' advice.
Woody, a well-known artist, florist and designer from Pleasant Hill, might have lived a life of frustration and regret if he'd listened to his father counsel to get a "real job."
Woody's dad didn't think his son could make a living painting pictures, so he urged the boy to find something more stable, something that came with a steady paycheck, good insurance and a nice pension. But the artist in Woody wouldn't hear the words. Some way, some how, he would find a way.
The immense talent Woody possessed was noticed when the boy was just 6 years old. He drew a picture of a horse and his first-grade teacher was flabbergasted. It wasn't the typical kid's picture of a large rectangle with four legs. Woody's horse looked like a horse.
In high school in Salt Lake City, Woody studied under a strict but talented teacher who made his students draw until their fingers ached.
"He wanted us to be able to draw in our sleep," Woody said. The teacher also recognized Woody's talents and urged him to attend the California School of Fine Art in San Francisco.
Working nights as a busboy, Woody studied at the academy and then transferred to the Chicago Academy of Art. He took classes at night and worked as a commercial artist during the day. His first job was with Carlton Display Studios, and his first big assignment was producing the posters that advertised the 1939-40 World's Fair.
From there, Woody went to Hollywood, where he became an artist with Fox West Coast Studios. Officials there quickly tabbed him to be the official portrait artist to the contract players, and in his time there, he painted 2,000 actors.
"Myrna Loy, Jeannette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Spencer Tracy," Woody told friends. "I did them all."
Lithographs of the paintings were displayed outside almost every movie house in the country, and now are considered big ticket collectors' items.
Woody's Hollywood days were interrupted by World War II. He enlisted in the Navy and spent the early part of the war drawing silhouettes of airplanes and ships. The drawings were used to teach recruits how to tell the difference between enemy craft and allied ships. Later, he was assigned to the Signal Corps.
When the war ended, Woody returned to California, and he and his wife, Nellie, settled in Berkeley. As giddy as the United States was in the post-war years, Woody worried that he wouldn't be able to support his growing family so he shifted his emphasis and used his art background for floral and commercial design.
He became a partner in the Fred Seulberger floral shop in Oakland and later had his own business in Pleasant Hill. Woody's daughter, JoAnne, says her father worked mostly out of their home. He specialized in elaborate displays and holiday decor. Many of his clients were established in San Francisco's financial district, but he also did ornate wedding arrangements.
Woody's floral designs graced the reception tables at Rudy Vallee's wedding, and his intricate outdoor Christmas displays caught the attention of cartoonist Charles Schulz, who retained Woody to create the Swiss chalet murals at an ice rink Schulz built in Santa Rosa.
And through it all, Woody kept painting and drawing. He produced mostly landscapes, and many of his paintings hang in Mormon temples and churches around the country. One of JoAnne's favorite works is of a rustic barn nestled at the foot of Mount Diablo.
Woody loved Contra Costa County, JoAnne says. It saddened him to leave Pleasant Hill about eight years ago, but his health was failing and he and Nellie, his wife, wanted to live closer to their daughter. They settled in Vacaville.
When Woody retired from his design business, he dedicated himself to his painting. He'd rise every day at 5 a.m. and paint for 10, 12, 15 hours.
A couple of years ago, Woody suffered a stroke, which robbed him of his fine, steady hand. He told JoAnne he could still draw, but not with the detail and skill he once had, and so he stopped drawing at all.
Woody died Wednesday. He was 81.
Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA)
Date: October 18, 1997
Son of Horace Eugene Allred and Mary Elizabeth Mower
Husband of Lorraine Williams and Nellie Margaret Borens
Woody Allred always said that as a young man, he learned a valuable lesson from his father: Sometimes it pays not to take your parents' advice.
Woody, a well-known artist, florist and designer from Pleasant Hill, might have lived a life of frustration and regret if he'd listened to his father counsel to get a "real job."
Woody's dad didn't think his son could make a living painting pictures, so he urged the boy to find something more stable, something that came with a steady paycheck, good insurance and a nice pension. But the artist in Woody wouldn't hear the words. Some way, some how, he would find a way.
The immense talent Woody possessed was noticed when the boy was just 6 years old. He drew a picture of a horse and his first-grade teacher was flabbergasted. It wasn't the typical kid's picture of a large rectangle with four legs. Woody's horse looked like a horse.
In high school in Salt Lake City, Woody studied under a strict but talented teacher who made his students draw until their fingers ached.
"He wanted us to be able to draw in our sleep," Woody said. The teacher also recognized Woody's talents and urged him to attend the California School of Fine Art in San Francisco.
Working nights as a busboy, Woody studied at the academy and then transferred to the Chicago Academy of Art. He took classes at night and worked as a commercial artist during the day. His first job was with Carlton Display Studios, and his first big assignment was producing the posters that advertised the 1939-40 World's Fair.
From there, Woody went to Hollywood, where he became an artist with Fox West Coast Studios. Officials there quickly tabbed him to be the official portrait artist to the contract players, and in his time there, he painted 2,000 actors.
"Myrna Loy, Jeannette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Spencer Tracy," Woody told friends. "I did them all."
Lithographs of the paintings were displayed outside almost every movie house in the country, and now are considered big ticket collectors' items.
Woody's Hollywood days were interrupted by World War II. He enlisted in the Navy and spent the early part of the war drawing silhouettes of airplanes and ships. The drawings were used to teach recruits how to tell the difference between enemy craft and allied ships. Later, he was assigned to the Signal Corps.
When the war ended, Woody returned to California, and he and his wife, Nellie, settled in Berkeley. As giddy as the United States was in the post-war years, Woody worried that he wouldn't be able to support his growing family so he shifted his emphasis and used his art background for floral and commercial design.
He became a partner in the Fred Seulberger floral shop in Oakland and later had his own business in Pleasant Hill. Woody's daughter, JoAnne, says her father worked mostly out of their home. He specialized in elaborate displays and holiday decor. Many of his clients were established in San Francisco's financial district, but he also did ornate wedding arrangements.
Woody's floral designs graced the reception tables at Rudy Vallee's wedding, and his intricate outdoor Christmas displays caught the attention of cartoonist Charles Schulz, who retained Woody to create the Swiss chalet murals at an ice rink Schulz built in Santa Rosa.
And through it all, Woody kept painting and drawing. He produced mostly landscapes, and many of his paintings hang in Mormon temples and churches around the country. One of JoAnne's favorite works is of a rustic barn nestled at the foot of Mount Diablo.
Woody loved Contra Costa County, JoAnne says. It saddened him to leave Pleasant Hill about eight years ago, but his health was failing and he and Nellie, his wife, wanted to live closer to their daughter. They settled in Vacaville.
When Woody retired from his design business, he dedicated himself to his painting. He'd rise every day at 5 a.m. and paint for 10, 12, 15 hours.
A couple of years ago, Woody suffered a stroke, which robbed him of his fine, steady hand. He told JoAnne he could still draw, but not with the detail and skill he once had, and so he stopped drawing at all.
Woody died Wednesday. He was 81.
Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA)
Date: October 18, 1997
Husband of Lorraine Williams and Nellie Margaret Borens
Woody Allred always said that as a young man, he learned a valuable lesson from his father: Sometimes it pays not to take your parents' advice.
Woody, a well-known artist, florist and designer from Pleasant Hill, might have lived a life of frustration and regret if he'd listened to his father counsel to get a "real job."
Woody's dad didn't think his son could make a living painting pictures, so he urged the boy to find something more stable, something that came with a steady paycheck, good insurance and a nice pension. But the artist in Woody wouldn't hear the words. Some way, some how, he would find a way.
The immense talent Woody possessed was noticed when the boy was just 6 years old. He drew a picture of a horse and his first-grade teacher was flabbergasted. It wasn't the typical kid's picture of a large rectangle with four legs. Woody's horse looked like a horse.
In high school in Salt Lake City, Woody studied under a strict but talented teacher who made his students draw until their fingers ached.
"He wanted us to be able to draw in our sleep," Woody said. The teacher also recognized Woody's talents and urged him to attend the California School of Fine Art in San Francisco.
Working nights as a busboy, Woody studied at the academy and then transferred to the Chicago Academy of Art. He took classes at night and worked as a commercial artist during the day. His first job was with Carlton Display Studios, and his first big assignment was producing the posters that advertised the 1939-40 World's Fair.
From there, Woody went to Hollywood, where he became an artist with Fox West Coast Studios. Officials there quickly tabbed him to be the official portrait artist to the contract players, and in his time there, he painted 2,000 actors.
"Myrna Loy, Jeannette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Spencer Tracy," Woody told friends. "I did them all."
Lithographs of the paintings were displayed outside almost every movie house in the country, and now are considered big ticket collectors' items.
Woody's Hollywood days were interrupted by World War II. He enlisted in the Navy and spent the early part of the war drawing silhouettes of airplanes and ships. The drawings were used to teach recruits how to tell the difference between enemy craft and allied ships. Later, he was assigned to the Signal Corps.
When the war ended, Woody returned to California, and he and his wife, Nellie, settled in Berkeley. As giddy as the United States was in the post-war years, Woody worried that he wouldn't be able to support his growing family so he shifted his emphasis and used his art background for floral and commercial design.
He became a partner in the Fred Seulberger floral shop in Oakland and later had his own business in Pleasant Hill. Woody's daughter, JoAnne, says her father worked mostly out of their home. He specialized in elaborate displays and holiday decor. Many of his clients were established in San Francisco's financial district, but he also did ornate wedding arrangements.
Woody's floral designs graced the reception tables at Rudy Vallee's wedding, and his intricate outdoor Christmas displays caught the attention of cartoonist Charles Schulz, who retained Woody to create the Swiss chalet murals at an ice rink Schulz built in Santa Rosa.
And through it all, Woody kept painting and drawing. He produced mostly landscapes, and many of his paintings hang in Mormon temples and churches around the country. One of JoAnne's favorite works is of a rustic barn nestled at the foot of Mount Diablo.
Woody loved Contra Costa County, JoAnne says. It saddened him to leave Pleasant Hill about eight years ago, but his health was failing and he and Nellie, his wife, wanted to live closer to their daughter. They settled in Vacaville.
When Woody retired from his design business, he dedicated himself to his painting. He'd rise every day at 5 a.m. and paint for 10, 12, 15 hours.
A couple of years ago, Woody suffered a stroke, which robbed him of his fine, steady hand. He told JoAnne he could still draw, but not with the detail and skill he once had, and so he stopped drawing at all.
Woody died Wednesday. He was 81.
Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA)
Date: October 18, 1997
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