Woody was born in Sunberry, Pennsylvania on August 19, 1943. When he was a toddler, his parents separated and his mother took him and his sister and left them at an orphanage. When Woody was in the 4th grade he was reunited with his father and met his stepmother and their two children. His father worked in counter-intelligence in the Army, then left the Army and worked for a power company. His stepmother was a homemaker and Woody states that he had a good relationship with his parents and felt supported.
Woody is a combat veteran who served the Army from 1962-1965 and then again 1969-1972. He is a two-time recipient of the Purple Heart which led to his medical retirement. He served in the Airborne Infantry and was attached to Signal Corps and radio repair.
Woody reports he was an adventurous child and a risk-taker. Woody completed high school and one semester of college at Eastern Washington State College, where he was hoping to be a wood craft or metal craft teacher at a junior college, but he did not complete his education. Woody did not work in any other field beyond the military.