Yarmouthport, MA
On March 30, 2017, Paul Richard Woudenberg, 89, passed away at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Massachusetts, surrounded by his family.
 
Paul was born on September 1, 1927, in Highland Park, Illinois, to John Anton Woudenberg and Rosina (Maechtle) Woudenberg.  He grew up in Burbank, California, and in 1944 enlisted in the United States Navy. After the war he enrolled at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, and then obtained a Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Philosophy from Boston University School of Theology. His career in the Methodist ministry began in 1957 at Echo Park United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, followed by California Heights United Methodist Church from 1963 to 1968.
 
In 1964, he met Emily Wiltse of Long Beach, California, when he sold her a 1934 Bentley. They were married in 1967. In 1969, Paul became minister at Santa Monica First United Methodist Church. Paul and Emily’s daughters Mary and Betsy were born in Santa Monica in 1970 and 1972.
 
In 1975, Paul became minister at the Church of the Wayfarer in Carmel, California, and moved with Emily and his daughters to Pebble Beach, California. In 1980, Paul was asked to serve as a temporary announcer at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, which began a thirty-year role as announcer, judge, and honorary judge.  He served on the board of the Carmel Bach Festival for twenty years, and was a Paul Harris Fellow in the Carmel Rotary Club.
 
After retiring from the Methodist ministry in 1984, Paul became a teacher at Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, California, where he taught classes in philosophy, religion, and ethics. In 1989, Paul co-founded the Church in the Forest, a non-denominational church at Stevenson School. In 1993, he became the school chaplain at Stevenson.
 
In 2005, Paul moved with his wife Emily to Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, to be closer to his children and grandchildren. He joined the Hyannis Rotary Club.  He and Emily have been active members of Dennis Union Church in Dennis, Massachusetts.
 
Paul’s love of antique and classic cars began in high school and was a lifelong passion. He wrote seven automotive buyers’ guides, taught classes in car collecting, and bought and sold more than two hundred cars, most of which he regretted selling.
 
Paul is survived by his wife, Emily; his daughters Mary Crowell (Sam) and Betsy Woudenberg (Tim Turqman) and grandchildren Willa and Charlie Crowell.
 
 A memorial service will be held at Dennis Union Church at Route 6A and Old Bass River Road, Dennis, MA on Saturday, April 8, at 10:00 o’clock in the morning. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to: Dennis Union Church, PO Box 2020, Dennis, Massachusetts 02638; Cape Cod Health Care Foundation Nursing Services, PO Box 370, Hyannis, MA 02601; Church in the Forest, .P.O. Box 1027, Pebble Beach, California 93953; or to  a charity of  one’s choice.

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