William Henry Wood Jr. (“Bill”), 93 years old, died Wednesday, June 25, 2014 after a two year, incredibly valiant battle against melanoma that had spread from his scalp. Bill was born in Tremonton, UT on Feb 8, 1921, the oldest of 6 sons. His parents, William Henry and Martha Ruth (Cooke), were engaged after a short courtship because of WWI; following their marriage, they homesteaded in southern UT. After their first three sons, they moved and settled in Grand Junction, Colorado. Bill graduated from Fruitville High School in May 1939; in the fall, he began studying mechanical engineering at the local Mesa College, while he earned his pilot’s license. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Navy, with the hope of becoming a pilot, not knowing that a college degree was required. While stationed in Hawaii, Bill attended night college and finished his degree. He was trained to fly bombers, but before he flew his first mission, the war was ended. Bill married Louise Marie in 1959 in Denver, Colorado. He had a rewarding 35 year career with the U.S. Geological Survey at the Denver Federal Center, designing and supervising the building of all kinds of equipment, from a uranium detector to a large seismic cable vehicle. For many years, Bill was involved in the U.S. Power Squadron, where he mastered and then taught every course, he was voted to be their Commander in 1970. In 1989, Bill and Louise moved to Peoria, Arizona and lived in Westbrook Village, until 2010 when they moved to Sierra Winds. Bill leaves behind his loving family, including his wife of 55 years, Louise; his 4 children, Bill (Squim, WA), John (Surprise, AZ), Joyce (Tucson, AZ), and Shelley (Peoria); his 8 grandchildren, Jennifer, Sean, Shannon (all in WA); Brian and Jason (both in WA); Julie (NY), Terry (Pine Top, AZ), Kelly (Holland); as well as 8 great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at Willowbrook Methodist Church on Wednesday, July 2, 2014. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the Melanoma Research Foundation. Funeral arrangements handled by Sunland Mortuary, for more information please visit www.sunlandmemorial.com
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