Chris Puglia
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 02/02) - Yellowknife lost a well-known clergyman and freelance writer this week.

Yellowknife Pentecostal Tabernacle Pastor Roger Woods died at the Cross Cancer Hospital in Edmonton late Tuesday night following a five-year battle with leukemia.

Roger Woods

Woods was born in England and later emigrated to Canada in 1974 to Fort Simpson. After spending some time in Western Canada, Woods moved to Yellowknife with his family.

Woods was a regular columnist for Yellowknifer and other Northern News Services Limited newspapers since 1994, and he hosted his own radio broadcast on CJCD, making him a well-known figure in the Yellowknife community.

He also facilitated youth programs and was a member of the HAM radio club.

Graham Woods, Roger's son, said his father was a well-respected man in the community and, as most pastors are, he was very active in community life.

During the course of his illness Graham says his father was in and out of hospital for treatment, but was never hospitalized for a long period of time. Roger is survived by his wife, three sons, three grandchildren in Canada and his sister and mother in England.

Woods wrote Pastor's Perspective and generated a loyal readership over the eight years he wrote for the papers.

He was 51.