Joyce Sadler Wood

JOYCE SADLER WOOD passed away on Saturday, May 22, 2021 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Joyce was born at 2306 Rutland Street in the Houston Heights on October 16, 1929. Joyce had three older brothers, Al, Lester, and Jimmy who passed away at age 5. At the early age of four she lost her mother, Lillie Newman Sadler. Her early youth was spent with her Maternal Grandparents, Carrie and John Newman but her youth was nurtured and influenced by both sides of her mother and father’s families. Both the Newman’s and the Sadler’s aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins stepped in to love, shape and influence who this young child became. Joyce had many favorites from this extended family and tried to stay in close contact with all of them. She was the babysitter to many of her young cousins and they all adored her. So, despite Joyce’s challenge at a very early age of not having the typical mother and father household she really flourished. From her mother’s side the large Newman clan she embraced a love of music, the Lord, and family. She played the piano and sang in school and church choirs whenever she could. She also loved to dance and in grade school she danced in a Square Dance Company that performed all over the city. From her father’s side of the family she received the poise, etiquette, and education required of a young woman and from both sides she received lots of love. That feeling was reciprocated on her side as she made sure that her boys also knew the families that she cherished.

Joyce was a very pretty woman who thoroughly enjoyed dressing up and she had her own style! She attended San Jacinto High School where she was in the choir and on the Gauchos Pep and Cheerleading Squad. At San Jacinto she also met the love of her life, Earnest Edward Wood III or better known as Jack. He felt very much the same. However, when they graduated Joyce went to Southwestern College in Georgetown, Texas where she studied music and was a cheerleader and also a pledge to the Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority. Jack went on to Texas A & M in College Station and was in the Corps of Cadets. During college their romance took a hiatus until Jack graduated and they reunited. They were married in August 1952. Jack was in the Air Force and they lived on base in San Diego, California. Following Jacks’ two years in the Air Force the couple moved back to Houston and Jack started his long career in the oil industry with NL Baroid. The oil field industry is similar to the military in that you move a lot and so began the couple’s relocation to new towns and communities.

They gave birth to their first son, Jack Preston Wood in 1955 and to a second son, David Alan Wood in 1958. The family lived in Houston and Marshall, Texas, Jackson, Mississippi, and Tulsa Oklahoma before returning to Houston and then on to London, England for almost 9 years. Both Jack and Joyce easily made long time friends in every community that they lived raising their boys to participate in sports and community activities. Joyce always excelled in dance and cheerleading but in Jackson she became a really good golfer. She and Jack won many local and company golf tournaments. Because of Joyce’s upbringing in social etiquette and a love of cooking they became great party givers entertaining friends and Jack’s clients. Then as Jack’s job description grew into an executive position and with their company move to London they together became dynamic party planners! They entertained Jack’s clients most becoming close lifetime friends. They became the perfect teammates embracing their time oversees. They arranged family ski trips with their client’s families skiing all over the Alps. They arranged golf trips, wine tastings, and visits to the Holy Land. They also took up Tennis in London and once again, Joyce was a very good tennis player. However, after almost nine years they were ready to settled down back in Houston with their kids and grandkids. Both Jack and especially Joyce played an important role in helping, son David for the first 2 plus years with their first grandchild, David Oliver Wood. She became David O’s Mama Joyce. Joyce and Jack also have two more grandchildren from Preston and Samantha, Allie Nicole Rosenberg and Zachary Preston Wood. She also gained a step-granddaughter, Arielle Abramovich from David’s marriage to Pamela. She also played important roles in their lives and loved them deeply. Once back in Houston they joined Cypress Creek Christian Church and Joyce again sang in the Choir and an important achievement for her was to be able to sing with the church choir in Carnegie Hall in New York.

They also bought a lake property in Malakoff, Texas on Cedar Lake to build a second home for family getaways. Preston, the family architect designed the home and David, the family builder built the home. Jack and Joyce made sure everyone knew this was the home from their sons!

Although Joyce was Jack’s loving partner and party hostess putting on dinners and family getaways she also had her own interests and personal goals. In the early 70’s she started working out daily to Jane Fonda’s Body Electric. She continued to perform her work out routine daily until about two years into the Alzheimer’s. She also began studying in depth about healthy eating researching vitamins, minerals, herbs for a healthier diet. She was serious about staying fit and healthy and sharing the findings with her family. Her research must have worked as she always looked ten years younger than her age right up to her death. Joyce was a happy lady that loved God, Jack, her children, their spouses, her grandchildren, and her close friends enjoying life to its fullest right up to the end.

Joyce is survived by sons: Jack Preston Wood and his wife, Samantha, David Alan Wood and his wife Pamela, grandchildren; David Oliver Wood and his wife Sara, Alexandria Wood Rosenberg and her husband Aaron, Zachary Preston Wood, Arielle Abramovich and her husband Jacob, great grandchildren; Tate Aryn Rosenberg, Maven Preston Rosenberg, and Chloe Joyce Wood.

Funeral service is scheduled for Saturday, June 19, 2021, 10AM at the Heights Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will follow at Murray Cemetery in Rockdale, Texas.