Thomas “Woodie” Beatrice

Thomas “Woodie” Beatrice, 68, of Butler, passed away suddenly on Sunday, September 26, 2021.
Woodie was a beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend who was without a doubt the best part of some of the best times in all of our lives and he did that simply by being Woodie. He had the amazing gift of changing the arc of your day the moment he came through your door, and that arc always bent toward a good time.
Woodie was born in Butler on August 6, 1953 to the late Anthony and Lucille Laconi Beatrice, and he grew up on Second Street on Institute Hill. He and his boyhood friends remained Mustangs and Shriners for life.
He was a 1972 graduate of Butler High School and he always reminded people he graduated “…the same year as Tony Dorsett, whose only loss that year was to Butler”. Tony Dorsett graduated in 1973, but that was Woodie.
He worked numerous jobs before starting at The Bon-Ton in 1982. He remained there until his retirement in 2013. It was an amazing run at the Bon-Ton, and, when the store closed, Woodie was the runner-up in the longest tenured employee race. Woodie’s employment record at the Bon-Ton had to read “greatest employee benefit and fantastic employee recruitment tool”. Anyone who ever worked a day with Woodie said they would have done it for free if they had only been asked. In retirement Woodie worked part time at Butler Catholic School from 2013 to 2018. Sister John Ann, the school principal, gladly accepted Woodie’s suspect custodial skills in order to keep a good soul around the building, and the students fondly referred to him as “Mr. Woodie”.
Woodie was a stubborn man to the point where mules chide each other and say “you’re as stubborn as a Woodie”. His stubbornness was a result of his fierce loyalty and commitment. He was so damn loyal to his family, his friends, and his sports teams that he could only see the good in all of them. Woodie’s loyalty and commitment also extended to his faith, as he remained a member of Saint Peter Roman Catholic Church all his life. His stubbornness led him to never at least try to take a bite of a tomato, and his loyalty led him to never give up on his loved ones.
Woodie remained a bachelor all his life but it would be a lie to say he did not have a family of his own. His family life, like most of the things in Woodie’s life, was unconventional and uniquely Woodie. After his mother passed he moved in with the Friel family around 1980 and remained a part of that family until his death. Woodie had so many roles in the Friel family — from brother, to uncle, to brother-in-law, to son — and he took all those responsibilities very seriously. He cared for two grandmothers; he cared for Maggie and Joe Friel; and he helped raise sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. As Maggie Friel used to joke, “Some kids bring home a dog to take care of; my boys brought home a Woodie.” All of us Friels are so happy that Maggie and Joe allowed us to keep him.
The uniqueness of Woodie was quickly apparent to all those who ever met him. The best definition determined him to be a perfect blend of Seinfeld’s Kramer and the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards. His amazing recall of arcane and unimportant moments in time would leave his listeners dumbfounded, and you never wanted to be out of the room when Woodie started retelling a story of one of the best times of your life. It was in those moments that your realized Woodie’s true purpose on earth: Woodie was here to create the best times of your life, and then remind you of the best times of your life by telling you the story of the best times of your life only the way he could. His stories always ended with “I never laughed so hard in my life”, and no truer words were ever spoken.
Woodie is survived by his sisters Toni Lee (Alec) Prenovitz, of Chicora, and Jeanne (Charlie) McCarren, of California. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, George and David.
There will be no visitation.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, October 2, at 10 a.m. from All Saints Parish, Saint Peter Roman Catholic Church, 127 Franklin Street, Butler, with Reverend Kevin C. Fazio, pastor, officiating.
Inurnment will follow at Calvary Cemetery Mausoleum.
In lieu of flowers, and as an honor to Woodie Beatrice, the family requests that you please be a caregiver to someone who is in need of care.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Martin Funeral Home, Inc., 429 Center Avenue, Butler.
www.martinfh.net