Dr. Joseph P. “Joe” Woods, passed away on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at home in Salina, KS. Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. William Woods and Frances (Tess) Woods. He is survived by his wife of 40 years Gloria, four children, Sara, Katherine, Peter, and Joseph. He also leaves 5 brothers, David, Edward, Daniel, William (Bill), and Andy and two sisters, Claudia and Laura, as well as two granddaughters, Lucy and Mary and a son-in-law, Chris.

Joe was born in Rochester, New York in 1956. At the University of Rochester he played football, found fun in his DKE fraternity, and received his BS in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (1979). Joe earned his PhD in Physics (1986) at the University of Texas. Upon completing his studies, he worked as a Post Doc at MIT in Boston, MA. Joe’s love for equations continued when he taught Physics for 5 years at the University of Nebraska.

In 1996 he went to work for Philips Lighting. While employed there he and his family lived in Hammondsport, NY and for two years in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Notably, Joe was a member of a team of engineers that received a patent resulting from their work on Halogen incandescent light bulbs. In 2013 he moved from Hammondsport, NY to Salina, KS. He retired from Philips Lighting in 2022.

Joe had many interests, but his passions were music and golfing. He played the 12-string acoustic guitar, and after his retirement spent many afternoons volunteering in the hospital waiting room- entertaining the waiting patients with his music. His love of music also extended to annual trips to New Orleans for Jazz Fests and other musical festivals including his very own “porch fest.” Joe loved being outside in nature and could be found playing golf in any and all weather conditions. He also inherited his parent’s green thumb and cultivated an impressive garden and enjoyment of outdoor activities such as skiing.

Joe enjoyed a good story and would often reminisce about the shenanigans he got into in his youth with a good chuckle. He needed this humor raising four kids and embracing the adventure of life. He loved applying physics to everything and talking for hours about physics. Anyone can tell you, he was an avid watcher of any sport on television that involved a ball.

Memorial services will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at Ryan Mortuary.

The service will be live webcast at https://www.livewebcastevents.com/joseph.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to a hospice center or for cancer research.