The funeral cortege carrying the body of 38-year-old coach Jesse Woods wound its way through Dayton onto East Clayton Street to Magnolia Cemetery where he was laid to rest in a brief ceremony. Woods died .

The funeral cortege carrying the body of 38-year-old coach Jesse Woods wound its way through Dayton onto East Clayton Street to Magnolia Cemetery where he was laid to rest in a brief ceremony. Woods died .

Photo: David Taylor / Staff Photo

The funeral cortege carrying the body of 38-year-old coach Jesse Woods wound its way through Dayton onto East Clayton Street to Magnolia Cemetery where he was laid to rest in a brief ceremony. Woods died .

The funeral cortege carrying the body of 38-year-old coach Jesse Woods wound its way through Dayton onto East Clayton Street to Magnolia Cemetery where he was laid to rest in a brief ceremony. Woods died .

Beloved Liberty coach Jesse Woods remembered for life of giving

The communities of Dayton and Liberty are mourning the loss of one of their beloved coaches. Jesse Woods, 38, succumbed to what is believed to have been a heart attack late Monday evening at San Jacinto Methodist Hospital in Baytown after attempts to revive him failed.

Liberty head coach Chad Taylor said he had talked to his wife Jodi earlier and she called him later Monday night to let him know that her husband had died.

It was devastating. Its hard to fathom that hes gone, Taylor said.I couldnt go back to sleep, he said.

Then the phone calls started coming at 1:30 a.m., 2:30 a.m., texts at 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. from his football squad trying desperately to confirm the awful news.

They wanted to know if it was true. I hadnt put it out there, but they found out, he said.

Liberty senior tight end Devin Fregia heard the news from one of his friends about three hours after he had passed and called Taylor to confirm.

I couldnt sleep all night crying and thinking about the four kids and his wife he left behind, he said tearfully.

Some of Woods boys spent time on the sidelines and in the locker room with the high school players.

Jace was always in the locker room with us before games teasing with us and us with him, he recalled.

Fregia said he was excited about this season knowing that he would figure into the new wrinkles in the offense that Woods had planned. Last year he threw in some rare passing plays for Liberty, and Fregia made some big catches and gains for the Panthers.

Well dedicate this season to him. Every play I will be thinking about him. I loved him and I know he loved me too, he said.

Sophomore center Seth Stearns took the news hard. He had spent his last two years working with Woods who helped him become better and make the varsity as a sophomore.

Its been very tough. We grew to a very close bond. We came to love each other. Im at a loss for words right now, he said.

Stearns credited Woods, who was also his powerlifting coach, for his weight gains and strength.

There will be a hole in our team this fall, but well go out there and play our best for Coach Woods. We will make the best of the season, he said.

Woods was a life-long resident of Dayton where he attended Dayton ISD schools graduating in 2000.

While in high school, he played football next to his twin brother Bruce and helped lead the Broncos to deep playoff runs.

I knew I could always count on the line because of Jesse and Bruce, said former coach and now DISD Athletic Director Jeff Nations.

He never complained about workouts or coming to practice, he said. Woods and his brother Bruce played on the team that finished 12-1 and got a chance to play in the Houston Astrodome.

He continued his education and graduated from Sam Houston State University in 2005. Jesse was currently a math and physics teacher for Liberty ISD and was the offensive coordinator for the Liberty Panthers football team.

His coaching didnt stop on the other side of the river. He was also very active in the Dayton Youth Sports Association and a member of the DYSA board, and the Rangers Softball Association.

He was originally hired as the assistant offensive line coach for the Panthers.

I had him for two years, one of those while Coach Stanley was still here. This last year he took over as offensive coordinator, Taylor said.

The head coach said he had more than 30 coaches reach out to him over a 24-hour period offering their condolences and support.

He was the guy who would coach anything, Taylor said.

He took the initiative to take care of anything whether it was cleaning out the equipment room or straightening up the locker room, he was always busy.

He and I had been collaborating the last few weeks on changing up our offense. We were going to meet yesterday to work on it and then set up a ZOOM meeting with our kids on Thursday to talk about what we had planned, but the meeting never happened.

Last year, he said they became close when he promoted him to offensive coordinator. They spent their conference period every day last year talking about football, and when softball came around, it was all about their daughters and how they were advancing in the sport.

Taylor said his colleague was an equal opportunity butt-chewing out kind of guy but was also loved and well-respected by his players.

He was also real quick to put his arm around you and tell you he loved you and those kids loved him back, Taylor said.

There are so many people on both sides of the river that had so much admiration for him and if this wasnt in the middle of this COVID-19 situation, it would be a huge funeral, he said.

Jesse was preceded in death by his grandparents, Elize Woods, Colleen Woods, Jack Keeton and Judy Wood, also his brother-in-law, Jordon Pierce. He leaves behind to cherish his memory his wife of 13 years Jodi Pierce Woods of Dayton; his parents, Bruce and Cathy Woods of Dayton; his children, Brendan Woods, Jordon Woods, Jess Woods, Jace Woods, and Jaxx Woods; his brother, Bruce Woods, Jr. and wife Spring; his sister, Paula Newkirk and husband Hunter; his grandparents, Pat Grayson, Jack Grayson, Merv and Linda Pierce and Silas Wood; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Bret and Kathy Pierce; brothers-in-law, Erik Pierce and wife Tamami, Jered Pierce and wife Brittany and Brody Pierce; numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, and a host of friends.

Honoring Jesse as pallbearers will be Brendan Woods, Bruce Woods, Jr., Eric Pierce, Jared Pierce, Brody Pierce, Bubba Britt, Chris Louvier, Aaron Strickland, Hunter Newkirk and Marshall Wiley.

You never take anything for granted. None of us have a guarantee in life. Make the most of your time and the opportunities while you have it and at the end of the day you have no regrets, Taylor said.

Well move forward and honor our coach the right way with some Ws this fall.

dtaylor@hcnonline.com

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Beloved Liberty coach Jesse Woods remembered for life of giving - Chron