Even close-knit communities have certain people who act as the glue that holds everything together. Woody Davis of Corbett was one of those people.

A story that appeared in the Dec. 28, 2011, edition of The Gresham Outlook described Woody as the person to call when you needed a job done fast. He grew up like most country boys, able to fix anything and to do it right. He was even the go-to person when a local family needed to know how to evict a skunk from under their house.

The one thing he couldn’t fix was the disease — amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — that ultimately took his life. Woody died Sunday, Aug. 5.

The Outlook was told during the 2011 interview that Woody took his diagnosis in stride. That’s not surprising; what else is left when you’re facing an illness with no known cause or cure, only a handful of treatments, and a life expectancy of three to five years? According to the National Institute of Health, ALS is marked by the slow degeneration of muscle strength and control — making it difficult for people, over time, to perform simple tasks like taking steps or even swallowing.

It’s a bit ironic, though, that Woody’s body lost its fight against this disease just as researchers appear to be making some small headway at early detection and perhaps new treatments. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston have identified something called a “blood biomarker” that could lead to these breakthroughs.

ALS affects 5 out of every 100,000 people worldwide and typically those who are older than 50.

While friends and family are saddened at the news of Woody’s death, most will remember him as the guy with the can-do attitude, a friendly wave and a willingness to help.

In that spirit, we encourage readers of The Outlook to consider making donations in Woody’s honor toward the research that one day could solve the riddle of ALS.

Donations can be mailed to The ALS Association, Development Department, 27001 Agoura Road, Suite 250, Calabasas Hills, CA 91301. For more information about ALS, visit

alsa.org.

We think Woody would have been happy to know that even in death he inspired others to lend a helping hand.