Brandon Woods

INDIANAPOLIS STAR / FUNERAL HOME Brandon F. Woods, voicer of Goulding & Wood Pipe Organs who defined the musical character of the company's instruments for over thirty years, died May 25, 2016 at age 65 in Indianapolis. Brandon was born in Indianapolis and spent much of his childhood and adolescence there along with three brothers and two sisters. By 1969 he worked for Edward H. Holloway Corporation tuning and maintaining area pipe organs. His natural musical abilities and keen sense of hearing attracted early attention, leading to his training as a voicer, the member of an organ building team who makes minute adjustments to the individual pipes which define the organ's musical personality. His budding career was interrupted when he was drafted into the U. S. Army in 1971 and served a two-year stint in the military police. Following his return to Indianapolis, Brandon completed countless instruments through the 1970s and early 1980s for the Holloway Corporation, eventually becoming a partner in the firm. After Goulding & Wood Organbuilders was established, Brandon joined fellow former Holloway employees John Gouding and Thomas Wood. He voiced and finished all organs beginning with the firm's sixth instrument and continuing through their most recently completed installation in Mobile, Alabama. Notable projects in his career include the cathedrals in Atlanta, GA and New Orleans, LA, Saint Meinrad Benedictine Archabbey in southern Indiana, Ball State University in Muncie, IN, Loyola University in Chicago, IL, and large organs in Greenville, SC, Indianapolis, IN, and Dallas, TX. In addition to new organs, Brandon completed musical refurbishments of significant organs at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago and East Liberty Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. While he worked in prestigious and historically significant institutions with increasing frequency, Brandon maintained a dedication to and intense care for every project, regardless of size or locale. Brandon's irrepressible zeal for life and gregarious nature kept him humble about his gifts, despite a humorous veneer of swagger. His insatiable appetite for laughter intoxicated everyone around him, and his brilliant verbal inventiveness imbued his conversations with linguistic wit. He could be notoriously short-tempered not being one to suffer fools, yet he was generous to a fault with friends and any who put forth their best effort. Brandon valued interpersonal relationships above all else, and he viewed the use of his prodigious skill entirely through the lens of creating musical instruments that foster deeper connections among the people who play, hear, and appreciate the music those instruments create. Brandon complemented his artistic pursuits with pipe organs with a number of outside interests. He was a lifelong musician and an accomplished guitarist in the jazz-rock genre. He preferred the sound of Fender Stratocaster guitars with an aggressive playing style that accentuated the inherent nature of the design. Brandon was a fervent fan of motor racing, particularly around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He attended the famed Indy 500 religiously from an early age, and he was actively preparing to attend the 2016 100th race at the time of his death. Brandon was also an avid tennis player for many years, reaching a high level of accomplishment in amateur competitions and casual matches. Brandon is survived by his mother, Thelma, wife, Linda Passwater Woods, step children Chris Beatty, Nikki Smythe, Tiffany Cornelius, Lia Cornelius-Glenn, and Danica Park, Brothers Monte, Loren, & Kyle Woods., sisters Fontane & Marcy Woods. and 11 grandchildren. A Memorial Service will be held 5:00 PM on Friday August 5, 2016 at St. Luke's United Methodist Church 100 W 86th St, Indianapolis, IN 46260, with a gathering from 4:00 PM until time of service. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages all memorial tributes be made to Little Red Door Cancer Agency 1801 N Meridian St, Indianapolis, IN 46202. Arrangements entrusted to Stevens Mortuary 5520 W. 10th Street Indianapolis, IN 46224. To read the entire obituary and leave the family online condolences please visit www.stevensmortuary.net We encourage family and friends to visit the site and share a special story or memory about Brandon.