Thomas Benjamin Wood

Tom was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 4th, 1942. After high school he attended college in Alabama, majoring in premed. After his first year, he had to unregister because his dad had lost his job and he returned home. Tom started working for a small electrical contracting company in Naperville, Illinois called OK Electric as delivery truck driver, salesman and fixture repair person. He moved up from electrical apprentice to journeyman and later became a foreman and superintendent. Still moving forward, he was asked to invest in the parent company and become vice president with a small group of electricians and office employees. He built this division with 8 employees to 24 in three years and later bought the division and built the company larger than the parent company with 200 employees and became the 6th largest electrical contractor in the Chicago area. When asked about his company, he would reply, “I drove the truck and then I bought it.” Tom also became involved with NECA at a local level and soon was elected president at the young age of 39.

In 1978, Tom took his 3 young daughters to Disneyland in Orlando for a district electrical Convention. While there, he met up with a friend who invited him to dinner with his wife. They told Tom about their friend and business partner in Dallas, Janet McKinney. After 6 months of traveling back and forth between Chicago and Dallas, they were married on November 18, 1978 in Dallas and he moved Janet to his home in Naperville where he continued his career and Janet started an interior design business. After retirement, they built their home in Austin in 1993 and along the way, bought several homes to remodel for sell and rental property. They joined Lost Creek Country Club and played many rounds of golf together and with friends.

Tom and Janet spent many years of travel, but where he liked to be was Delavan, Wisconsin at their second home on the lake where he enjoyed family and friends for many years. He taught countless kids how to water ski.

They became members of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Tom was active having been appointed Junior Warden six times in charge of buildings and grounds. He was very proud of his involvement of overseeing a program called Generation to Generation involving $500,000 of improvements, all from generous donations by the parishioners. He really enjoyed his “job” at St. Luke’s and as well as his many friends. His church was truly his second home.

Tom is survived by his loving wife, Janet, 3 daughters, Lori Wood, Ericka Wood Frey, husband Chuck Frey, Deana Rooney, husband David Rooney, 2 granddaughters, Nicole and Ella, brother Jim Wood and sister Rosemary Nelson. He is preceded in death by his father, Thomas B. Wood, Sr, his mother, Natalie Herdrich Wood, and brother, Joe Wood.

Tom’s celebration of life will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, June 25th, at St. Luke’s on the Lake, Austin, TX, 5600 Ranch Road 620 North. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Luke’s, Salvation Army, Hospice Austin, or a charity of your choice.

A life well lived and enjoyed, but will be dearly missed by many who loved him.

“My mind still talks to you,

My heart still looks for you,

My soul knows you are at peace”