Wiley O. Woods Jr.

Wiley O. Woods, Jr., 92, died October 16, 2015. He was the son of Wiley O. Woods, Sr. and Mattie Whitehead Woods. He is survived by his wife, Josephine Pearce Woods and a daughter, Jo Lynne W. Overall (Stephen); two grandchildren, Michael Scott Overall (Michelle) and Leslie Brooke Overall and a great granddaughter, Wiley Anne Overall. He is survived by a brother, William B. Woods (Peggy) and two sisters, Barbara Ann Brown and Patricia June Dobbins (Raymond). He is also survived by several nieces and nephews.

He attended public schools in Chattanooga, attended the University of Chattanooga prior to and after World War II and received his Bachelor of Laws Degree from McKenzie College of Law where he graduated with honors. He was licensed to practice law in the states of Tennessee and Georgia. He was a member of the Sigma Delta Kappa law fraternity. He was formerly employed by the Tennessee Valley Authority and in the claims department of an insurance company. He was engaged in the real estate title insurance business for over 30 years. He formed the Pioneer Title Insurance Agency, Inc. and served as its president until he retired in 1985.

He was in the service during World War II and received a commission as a navigator in the U.S. Army Air Corps. For one year of his service he flew with a crew of B-24 Liberator of the 90th Bombardment Group in the Pacific. He was awarded the Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters. He remained in the Air Force Reserve for several years after World War II and was discharged a captain. He was active in the formation of the 90th Bomb Group Association and served as its president on two occasions. He was elected historian of the association and did extensive research on the bomb group among the records in Washington and in Australia. He visited some of the sites in New Guinea and in the Philippines where he was based during World War Ii. He was the author of the Legacy of the 90th Bombardment Group: the Jolly Rogers which was published in1994. He was interviewed by PBS and was in a segment on military mysteries.

He was a member of the Brainerd United Methodist Church and the Friendship Class. He was past president of the Downtown Optimist Chub and received the Distinguished President Award. He was named Optimist of the Year in 1969 and was a lifetime member of Optimist international. He was also a life member of the Disabled American Veterans and the Air Force Association. He enjoyed square dancing and was a square dance caller. He was a builder of model sailing ships and enjoyed playing golf. He traveled extensively in Canada, in Europe, in the Caribbean and in Southeast Asia.

In his early years he was listed as Who’s Who in Tennessee.

Funeral services will be held 1:00 pm Tuesday October 20 at the East Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home with Reverends Stephen Overall and Dr. Dennis Flaugher officiating. Interment will follow in the Chattanooga National Cemetery. The Friendship Class will serve as honorary pallbearers.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 4-8 Monday.

In lieu of flowers contributions may be given to the Brainerd United Methodist Church or Hospice of Chattanooga.