John H. Woodall Iii

JOHN H. WOODALL, III, Lakeland - John H. Woodall, III, born June 25, 1940 to Mr. and Mrs. John H. Woodall, Jr., lost his life on, Monday, May 2, 2016. Known locally as Jack Woodall, he attended John Cox Elementary and Lakeland Jr. High School. He led in school sports and Boy Scouts, where he received his Eagle Scout badge. He graduated from Lakeland Senior High School, Class of 1958, and granted a football scholarship to the University of Florida where he studied Agriculture and the Arts. In the early Sixties, he relocated to California where he settled in San Francisco and received both his BFA and MFA from San Francisco Art Institute. "John Woodall, the artist, was a one-man show, true to himself to the end," quoted his sister Margaret. He became one of the pioneers of the Bay Area performance scene in the 1970's, where he joined others who broke away from traditional art making for new forms of conceptual art, embraced anti-commercialism, and sought out new ways to conceive and show work. His sculptural objects, drawings, storyboards, installations and performance art focused on human relations, spanning nearly 40 years. For these venues, he used basic materials such as metal, wood, paper, and minerals that became tools for larger works. One such tool, Folded Pages, he prefaced, "Each paper piece made the assumption that the exercise of repetitive folding paper is the presence of what is often thought of to be lost - Love". (Tools of Performance 1975) These paper pieces made up a variety of geometric arrangements using hundreds of paperback books he sought in used bookstores. John returned to Florida in 2002. He wrote short stories and conceptualized new works in his Plant City studio. Some of his short stories follow his adventures in the Florida wilderness with his Grandfather Woodall on the St. Johns River in Kissimmee and Florida Everglades in Okeechobee. He also joined his sister Leslie and brother-in-law Butch Metcalf, to help manage Woodall's Mobile Home Village, a family corporation started in 1946, by John Woodall Sr., and his sons Paul and John Woodall, Jr., for "snow birds" - retirees from the north. In his final months, John had the loving care of Leslie and Butch, daughters Gretchen Ruby and Elizabeth Holcomb and their families. He had many "friends" he enjoyed listening to and observing in the nearby woods around his studio. The day before and following his death, a family of black snakes appeared near his front door looking for their friend. There has not been a brother/uncle/cousin more adored by a large extended family of females: however, his is the endgame for four generations of this line of the Woodall family. John spent many Sundays during his youth picnicking with his family and close friends at Hillsborough State Park. Shortly before he left us he spoke of happy memories there exploring the Hillsborough River and enjoying some of his favorite home cooked dishes such as Perlo chicken and rice, fresh okra and string beans, Lima beans and ham, fried chicken and potato salad, and Grandmother Woodall's chocolate sheet cake.. His sisters, Margaret (Charles) Tapscott from California and Leslie (Butch) Metcalf from Plant City; three nieces and two nephews, and 15 grand nieces and nephews survive him. Heath Funeral Chapel of Lakeland, Florida made funeral arrangements. At John's request, there will be no services or visitation.