"More than anything, he was a caring gentleman who committed his life to helping others."
 - A.J. Filippis

KEN WOODWARD, CPO
1943-2008

The world has lost a nationally-renowned leader in the field of prosthetic care; we have lost a great friend.

Ken Woodward, CPO, passed away suddenly on February 25, 2008 at the age of 64.  Wright & Filippis will host a Memorial Celebration of Ken’s life on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 for employees and business associates.  The event will be held from 6 – 9 p.m. at the Troy Marriott, located at 200 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, MI 48084.  Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP by contacting Sherri Szep at (248) 829-8277, or by email at

The family will also hold a private memorial service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to The Filippis Foundation to benefit the AmpuTeam program:

The Filippis Foundation, 2845 Crooks Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48309

Kenneth Martin Woodward was born March 17, 1943 and joined Wright & Filippis in 1959.  He most recently served as the company’s Director of Prosthetics and celebrated his 48th year with the company in 2007.

“This is an enormous loss, not only for the Wright & Filippis family, but for every patient whose life he touched,” said A.J. Filippis, President and CEO.  “I’ve known Ken for virtually my entire life, so this is a tremendous personal loss as well. Yes, he certainly did an extraordinary job of leading our prosthetics department, but more than anything, he was a caring gentleman who committed his life to helping others, and he did so with great empathy and compassion.

“We’ve truly lost a good friend.”

Mr. Woodward started at Wright & Filippis on June 30, 1959. He began in a building maintenance position and was quickly promoted to the position of prosthetic technician. In 1962, he was transferred to the Lansing facility and began his education at New York University and later at Northwestern University. In 1967, he became a certified Prosthetist, later earning his ABC certification in orthotics in 1975.

He was promoted to director of orthotics and prosthetics in 1985, but with company growth and expanding industry demands, Mr. Woodward began focusing his efforts on the field of prosthetics.

He was a past president of the Michigan Orthotics and Prosthetics Association as well as serving in a number of ways for the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association. He was also a member of the American Academy of Prosthetists & Orthotists.

One of his proudest achievements came in September 2003 with the development of a new program called AmpuTeam.  His vision for providing greater prosthetic care and better patient function led to an AmpuTeam program which has helped provide training, education and encouragement to amputees and their healthcare providers.