Lt. Col. Grayson C. Woodbury, a retired career Army officer and educator, died of cancer Friday at St. Joseph Medical Center. The Timonium resident was 72.
Colonel Woodbury was born at Fort Hayes, Ohio, the son of a career Army officer, and raised in Havre de Grace. After graduating in 1949 from Havre de Grace High School, he followed in his father's footsteps by attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and graduating in 1954.
"After serving at the Pentagon in the late 1950s, he was sent to Vietnam because he was fluent in French," said a nephew, Scott Holley of Whiteford. "He served there as a military adviser where much of his work there was of a classified nature."
He subsequently served as a company commander in Germany, taught French at West Point in the early 1970s, was military attachM-i to the U. S. Embassy in Tunisia and ended his career in 1975 as head of recruiting at Fort Sheridan, Ill., retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1975.
His decorations included the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Combat Infantryman Badge, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, Vietnam Service Medal and Meritorious Service Medal.
From 1975 until moving to Bel Air in 1992, he taught economics at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, Ill.
He was an avid bridge player and enjoyed travel.
His wife of 41 years, the former Rosalee Hollahan, died in 1998.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Ruck Towson Funeral Home, 1050 York Road.
Besides his nephew, Colonel Woodbury is survived by his wife of six years, the former Johanna Nealon; a stepson, Mark Nealon of Catonsville; and two stepdaughters, Maria Jones of Monkton and Linda Schmelter of Charlottesville, Va.
