He is preceded in death by his beloved daughter Jennifer; his wife, Nowena; his parents, Everett and Ruby; his sisters, Joyce and Evelyn; and his daughter-in-law Diana Laughlin. He is survived by his son, Jeffrey, and his granddaughters, Shaylene and Kaylene.
Bill was born in Idabel, Oklahoma on April 30, 1932 to Everett and Ruby Wood. He married Nowena Wood on October 5, 1951, and often referred to her as “the prettiest girl in McCurtain County.” He left to enlist in the Korean War three days after they married. They brought Jennifer Wood into the world on August 28, 1953, and Jeffrey Wood into the world on July 28, 1958.
He was a kind, gentle, charming and courageous man, a towering patriarch of the extended family, and beloved by everyone who came in contact with him. Even children and animals seemed drawn to him; he just had that kind of magnetism about him. He worked as a mechanical engineer and designer for John Deere for over 30 years, and is responsible for over 20 patents in that time. He will be remembered for his charm, his gentle nature, his sometimes biting wit, his wide-ranging curiosity, and his passion for politics, reading, history and baseball. Words cannot properly express how dearly he will be missed. There will be a Memorial Service at Forest Hill Baptist Church at a future time, when his death will be honored, and his life celebrated.
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