Bobby Ray Woody Sr.

Mr. Bobby Ray Woody, Sr., age 85 of the Boxelder Community in Annona, Texas passed away Tuesday, February 6, 2024, at Clarksville Nursing Center in Clarksville, TX. Funeral services will be at 02:00 PM on Monday, February 12, 2024 at Cryer Funeral Home in Obion. Friends may call at the funeral home from 11:00 AM until the hour of service at 02:00 PM. Rev. Herman DeBoard will officiate with burial to follow in the Mt. Moriah Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Bobby Ray Woody III (Trey), Blake Crigger, Zachary Woody, Colton Woody, Peyton Townley, Brad Woody, Bart Woody, Brent Woody, and Matthew Abernathy. Mr. Woody was born August 25, 1938 in Obion, Tennessee to Raymond "Jack" and Jane Jackson Woody. Preceding him in death are his parents: his wife, Dana Caldwell Woody and his brother, David Woody. He is survived by 3 sons, Ray Woody and wife Dianne of Boxelder, Scott Woody of Boxelder and Kent Woody and wife Heather of Union City, Tennessee; his daughter, Vicky Crigger and husband, James of Franklin, Tennesse; his sister Joyce Abernathy and husband,, George of Jackson, Tennesse; his brother, Hollis Woody of Obion, Tennessee; 6 grandchildren, Blake Crigger and wife, Diana, Brooke Townley and husband, Peyton, Zach Woody, Colton Woody, Trey Woody, Elizabeth Woody; 2 great grandchildren, A.J. Crigger and Georgia Jane Crigger and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. In lieu of flowers the family request donations be made to the Mt. Moriah Cemetery Assn., 1077 Board Rd., Obion, TN 38240 The following article was published in the American Cattlemen magazine in December 2021: Last of The Great Texas Land Dynasties by Heather Smith Thomas Bobby Woody originally had property in Tennessee, then moved to this larger ranch in Annona, Texas after he fell in love with this beautiful setting and saw its potential. “I’m 83 years old, and have owned this ranch for 25 years.” “When I bought it, my son Ray was taking care of our ranches in Tennessee and I told Ray it needed a lot of work, and that if he’d move down there to work on it I would move down there with him. I didn’t tell my wife about it at first because we were living in her parents’ house where she was born and raised. She’d told me earlier that she was born there and planned on dying there. I didn’t think she’d want to move, but when she came down here to see this ranch it really impressed her,” says Woody. “Ray and I were talking about it and he decided to sell all the property in Tennessee and come down here, so I told my wife that Ray and I were moving to Texas. I told her she was welcome to come with us but if she didn’t want to, I’d just leave her in Tennessee in that big house. But she said, ‘If you are going, I’m going with you!’ “We lived in the trailer house I bought, but when all the kids started coming to visit we realized we needed more room and she told me I had to build her a house! So she picked out a spot and we built a beautiful house, with a big pond in front of it, and she was really pleased. Every time she’d look at that house she’d tell me that the Lord has really blessed us.” Bobby and his wife moved into the new house, and Ray lived in the trailer 5 more years, then they built him a house. They built a shop, two houses and a cattle barn, and graveled all the roads through the property. Bobby built state-of-the-art cattle working facilities to make it easy to handle cattle, and restored the pastures and fields. He made durable feed troughs from highway guard rails. “I’ve had several ranches in my life, and this is the best I’ve ever had. This one will grow more grass than you’ve ever seen, and also has 2,100 acres of rich farming land. I spoke to the people who farmed it earlier and they said they’d never missed a crop and always grew really good crops.” It has good soil that has never needed fertilizer. A creek runs through the ranch. “I built a dam on the creek in several places and created many watering places perfect for irrigation. We never had to irrigate, however, because we get enough rain,” he says. The Corps of Engineer created a 7-mile levee to protect the land from flooding. The ranch is 3,000 acres of bottomland, with rich oil. If there is a lot of rain, however, it would be prone to flooding, but the levee protects it and controls the water. There are also 5 wells and an artesian well, in addition the houses are serviced by city water. Bobby has been raising Charolais cattle since the 1960’s. “I’ve probably had more Charolais cattle than anyone else in the country. When I was in Tennessee, most of my cattle came from Canada. Cattle imported to North America from France had to go to Canada and stay there awhile before they could come into the U.S. I sell bulls all over the U.S. Some customers drive more than 1,200 miles to buy our bulls as they feel these bulls sire the best calves they’ve ever had,” he says. The land is excellent and so are the cattle. They can be purchased together, but if a new owner wants just the land, the cattle will be sold separately. Together, however, they are a nice package because the cattle are well adapted to this environment and thrive here. The cattle and equipment are negotiable. There’s a lot of new equipment—everything a person would need, to continue the farming and ranch operation. The cattle are also a thriving and profitable business. We sell every bull, every year. It takes a lifetime to get to where we are now in the cattle business and this would be a great opportunity for someone who wants to continue on with these cattle.” This ranch and cattle would be a great opportunity for someone who wants to continue the legacy that Bobby started.

Bobby Ray Woody Sr.

August 25, 1938 - February 6, 2024

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Bobby Ray Woody Sr.

August 25, 1938 - February 6, 2024

What We Do

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