Pastor Jimmie Lee Wood

He was the son of the late James Otis and Beverly Sue Wood and was preceded in death by a brother, Rolla Allen Wood, and three infant grandchildren.

He is survived by his loving wife, Virginia, of 52 years; two daughters, Rebekah (Derek) Hanaman of Dousman, WI and Sarai (Steve) Wittig of Delafield, WI; four grandsons, Logan John, Jacob Wittig, Kael Hanaman and Andrew Wittig and one brother, Steve (Carolyn) Wood of Show Low, AZ, four nieces and two nephews.

His mother shared that as a child Jimmie loved to “play church” with the neighborhood children and he always made certain that he was the preacher. Since his graduation from Bob Jones University in 1972, Pastor Wood has faithfully served churches in Arizona, Wisconsin and Arkansas. His first love was preaching the Word of God. Only eternity will reveal the influence this gentle, but fiery, preacher had on hundreds to whom he was privileged to be their shepherd.

People loved to hear Pastor Wood pray, as his prayers were powerful and filled with praise to God and doctrine from the Scriptures. He also loved to sing, direct choirs, and lead congregational singing. He never wanted to be praised, for he knew all praise belongs to the God Whom he served and Who enabled him to be a faithful servant. At the end of his life, his own father told Jim that he was the best Christian he ever knew.

He was a true gentleman, especially to his own first lady. Always with his “rib” at his side, no difficulty was too great for them to endure together.

In addition to being an ordained minister, Jim was a certified optician and loved to garden, cook and spend time with his daughters and their families. All who knew him will greatly miss his genuine smile of joy in the Lord!

Pastor Wood suffered with a degenerative nerve disease which required him to wear foot/leg braces since the age of 50. His wife often encouraged him with this verse: “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” ~ Romans 10:15b.

A Service of Praise and Worship will be held at First Baptist Church in Hartford WI on March 24th at 11am with a Visitation starting at 10am. The service will be available via live stream 11AM CST on the First Baptist Church Hartford YouTube page: @fbchartford. A private committal service with immediate family will be held at Wisconsin Memorial Park in Brookfield, WI.

In lieu of flowers, monetary donations may be given to the Scholarship Fund for Preacher Boys at Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown, WI, in memory of Pastor Jim Wood.

The family wishes to express their heartfelt appreciation to all who prayed for them during this difficult time and especially to the staff of Summit Aurora Medical Center and St. Luke's Hospital Milwaukee for their loving skilled care during Jim's last days on earth.