Luther J. Woodrum, 83, passed away on March 8, 2023, after a brief struggle with cancer, at his home with his loving daughters at his side, while under the care of Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley. A funeral service will he held online, hosted by his daughters. A burial of his ashes will take place at Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetary, at a time yet to be determined.

Luther was born In Chicago, Illinois on April 9, 1939 the son of Luther and Martha Woodrum. He attended Vassar College earning his Bachelor’s degree in physics, but only because he had too many credits in math by the time he got to Vassar. Luther was employed by IBM in Poughkeepsie, NY as a computer programmer.

He is survived by his ex-wife and dear friend, Barbara Woodrum, daughters, Lisa of Highaland, NY, and Skye and husband, Gabe Graziani of Ontario, CA. His grandchildren, Helix Graziani, Jeffrey Martell, Steven Martell and Jessica Martell, his sisters Lucille Wells of Arkansas, Lenora Rosinsky of Arkansas, his brothers Lemont of Arkansas, Loren of Chicago and Lance of Chicago.

Luther contributed immensely to the field of computer programming. He secured patents both for himself and IBM on the radix sorting method. He made key contributions to APL (Iverson's A Programming Language) and innovations in the architecture of IBM's System/370 (now called Z series) .

Luther knew how to entertain a crowd while singing and dancing at karaoke. He inhaled books, all types, and was a lover of knowledge. He was also an aficianado of science fiction, both books and shows, from Star Trek to The Witcher.

If you would like to send flowers to the family, you can send them to Skye Woodrum and her mother at 20396 Concession 5 Road, Green Valley, ON K0C 1L0, a local florist is:  https://www.glengarryflorist.…

Or to Lisa Woodrum at 10 Wilcox Avenue, Highland, NY 12528.

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