Elwood "Woody" Willis Phares II passed away on Tuesday evening, July 19th, 2022, at his home in Princeton, NJ, at the age of 92. With a radiant smile,bellowing laugh, and magnanimous charm, Woody was a generous husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend.

Woody was born on June 1st, 1930, to Eugene and Ruth (Royer) Phares of Elizabeth, NJ. He attended The Pingry School, where he played on both the football and swimming teams, along with being a member of the 1947 Pingry Hall of Fame golf team. Summers growing up were spent at the beach in Bay Head and Sea Girt, NJ, along with many memorable years with his younger brother, Richard Royer Phares, as a camper and counselor at Camp Waganaki in East Waterford, ME.

After graduating from Pingry in 1947, Woody majored in Management Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) of Troy, NY, graduating with honors in At RPI, Woody was selected to both the Phalanx Honor and White Key societies, as well as the Theta Xi and Tau Beta Pi fraternities. Woody served as the Vice President of his Junior Class and as Chairman of the Ring Committee during his Senior Year.

A fierce athlete, Woody continued his athletic passion at RPI, playing on both the football and lacrosse teams. Woody was co-captain of the 1951 lacrosse team under coach Ned Harkness, who recalled Woody as "one of the best centers I ever had the pleasure of coaching." During the 1951 North/South All-Star game, Woody led the team to a 12-11 win, taking all 12 out of 12 face-offs. Woody was selected as an All-American, and named to UVA's All-Opponent team comprised of players the rival university considered the very best they'd shared the field with. In 1993, Woody was inducted to RPI's athletic Hall of Fame.

Following his undergraduate ROTC training, Woody joined the 82nd Airborne Division where he trained in strategic reserve during the Korean War as a 1st Lieutenant Paratrooper, stationed in the South of France.

After the Korean War, Woody attended Harvard Business School, graduating with honors in the class of 1955. While at Harvard, Woody met Jacqueline "Jacquie" Jean Overturf, and they married in February 1956. Together, Woody and Jacquie raised Melissa Jameson "Jamie" Phares and Craig Anthony Royer Phares in Princeton, NJ. The family spent years vacationing in Barbados, Bermuda, Carmel-by-the-sea, CA and Snowmass/Aspen, CO. Woody and Jacquie fostered a passion for travel throughout their 66 year marriage, with countless memories and anecdotes from travel experiences around the globe.

Woody worked in the chemical engineering business for his entire career, firstly Cary Company and Dart Industries, Inc. In 1979 he joined West/Penetone, Inc. (Formerly West Chemical Products, Inc) as CEO and President, a position he held until retiring in 2016. Woody proudly took West from a publicly traded company to a privately owned "family company".

Woody served on the boards of the University Medical Center of Princeton, Crawford House, and The Pingry School. Woody also made consistent charitable contributions to the McCarter Theatre Center, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, the Arts Council of Princeton, RPI, Harvard Business School, the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, Princeton Day School, and Save the Children, among others. Woody was a member of the Harvard Club of New York City, the Coral Beach & Tennis Club of Bermuda; the Pretty Brook Tennis Club, the Nassau Club, and The Old Guard of Princeton. He was additionally a previous member of The River Club of New York, The Bedens Brook Club of Princeton, and the Racquet Club of Chicago.

Woody was an avid skier, tennis and squash player. He was an arts patron and regular theatergoer. Woody was fun, witty, and a sharp dresser. He loved to play Hearts on his many family trips and vacations. Woody will be remembered for his immense kindness, warmth, and charisma. Every January, he and Jacquie opened their doors on Rosedale Road to celebrate their multigenerational "12th Night" holiday party with the Princeton community. Woody was the life of the party; always smiling, laughing and making sure all were well fed and hydrated.

Woody is survived by his wife Jacquie, their children, Jamie and Craig (wife Katharine Herring Phares), and his five beloved grandchildren, Hadley, Austin, Didier, Charles, and Keene Phares.

A family burial was held Tuesday, July 26th in the Princeton Cemetery.

A memorial service and 'Celebration of Life' will be held in the fall of 2022.