John Willard Guy Wood

John went to be with the Lord on Saturday, June 4, 2011, surrounded by his family and friends. He left this life as beloved husband, father, son, brother, brother-in-law, and friend, and we are all blessed to have had him in our lives.

John spent his childhood in Houston. As a teenager, John attended South Kent School in Connecticut. While there, he auditioned, performing Asleep At The Wheel’s “Miles and Miles of Texas” and was accepted to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, England. However, being a 7th generation Texan, his heart was with his friends and family at home and came back to attend the University of Texas at Austin.

John graduated from UT with a B.A. in Journalism. He became a videographer for KXAN and KTBC. In 1991, he left his position as Chief Photographer at KTBC and went on to found video production companies, Videosha and J. Wood Television Production. He covered many of the nation’s most defining news stories and personalities for several national and international news networks. John was recognized for his work by the Associated Press, Governor’s Proclamation, Texas Production Manual, and National Press Photographers Association.

John was passionately committed to his country, his state, his family, and his friends and held himself and those around him to the highest standards of integrity and intelligence. His work with the Shoah Foundation, Kid Fish and the Sunshine Camp reflected his passion for his world and his community.

John was a proud and devoted husband and father. He loved taking his family to local and hill country parks to hike, fish and catch tadpoles. He passes on to his son a love of swimming and the outdoors. He loved his labs, Cody and Darby, and they were his steadfast hunting companions as well as loyal members of the family.

John’s fierce loyalty, intelligence, and integrity were balanced by a fun and gregarious nature. A lover of good food and an excellent cook, he was famous for his chicken fried steak, beef stroganoff and chicken and dumplings. We will miss his turkey and dressing that he cooked with his Granny’s recipe at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

While he could always be counted on for a vigorous political debate, John had a gift for making any conversation entertaining, thought provoking and insightful. John’s personality was larger than life, and his family and friends will miss him dearly.

John was preceded in death by his mother, Sarah Norman Wood; grandmother, Wilma Norman; and uncle, James Norman. He is survived by his wife, Laura Gilliam Wood; his son, John Jacob Mason Wood; his father, Dr. Robert Wood, Jr., M.D.; brothers, James Wood and Robert Wood III; numerous, cousins and nephews; and his faithful dog, Darby.

Services will be held Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 10:00 am at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home at 3125 North Lamar Boulevard. Burial will follow at Austin Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (http://www.theaftd.org/about/get-involved/donate) or a charity of you choice.