Alvin Woods,

A. Jay Woods Jr., a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, passed away Thursday, Oct. 12, 2006, in Arlington.  Funeral: 2 p.m. Saturday in Blessing Funeral Home Chapel, 401 Elm St., Mansfield. Burial: Mansfield Cemetery. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Blessing Funeral Home.  Lt. Col. A. Jay Woods Jr. was born Jan. 19, 1920, in Carmen, Okla., the son of Alvin Jay Jr. and Millie Barrows Woods.  He and his wife, Dena, were one of the five founding members of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Mansfield, where he was one of the first elders.  Lt. Col. Woods proudly served in the U.S. Army Air Forces bomb group 451. He obtained his bachelor's degree from Texas A&M, graduating in 1948.  Mr. Woods' first job was with the Corps of Engineers in Fort Worth. He later worked for HHFA and HUD. His projects include Lake Lavon, Garza Little Elm Lake, Lake Lewisville and Grapevine Lake. Mr. Woods provided disaster relief for the victims of tornadoes and hurricanes along the Gulf Coast and eastern seaboard. He was the head of HUD's engineering department, retiring in 1980.  He and Dena loved to travel and cruise the world.  He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, James and Donald; and sisters, Edith and Rose Mary.  Survivors: Wife of 55 years, Dena Woods of Arlington; sister, Almeda of Norman, Okla.; sons, Ben Woods and wife, Ann, of Lillian, Woodrow Woods and wife, Constance, of Denton, Jerry Woods and wife, Cathy, of Sadler, Jim Woods and wife, Terri, of Granbury and Dan Woods and wife, Gail, of Granbury; numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and other extended family members. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Alvin Woods, please visit our Sympathy Store.