Obituary of Charles Byron Wood

Charles (Chuck) Byron Wood, Jr., concluded 102 years of life on May 21, 2020, passing peacefully into the presence of Jesus from his home at the Mountain View Retirement Community in Tucson, Arizona. He will be remembered as a man of deep faith, uncompromising character, infectious optimism and self-confidence, and unwavering love, commitment, and service to his wife of 78 years, Doris Marie Wood, to his family and friends, and to the country he loved. He was born on December 5, 1917 at Michael Reese Hospital, Chicago, Illinois to Charles Byron Wood Sr. (1892-1965) and Ruth (Beard) Wood (1898-1960). He is survived by his wife Doris Marie Wood, and was preceded in death by his brothers Robert, John Wesley, Jack, Thomas Roger (Tommy) and his sister Nancy Priscilla Wood; he is survived by his brother Morris Rex Wood.

Chuck’s desire to pass the Wood family history on to his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren resulted in a quest to gather and record that history recorded in his book “The Way It Was” self-published in 1998, revised in 2007, about the religious roots of the Wood family from the 16th and 17th centuries. He wrote of religious persecution, immigration from England to Pennsylvania and then Illinois, and service in the revolutionary and civil wars. Permeating that history was the pioneering, can-do optimism, and self- confidence so apparent in Chuck’s approach to life.

From Chicago, the growing Wood family moved to Champaign, Illinois. During the last two years of high school, Chuck joined the Citizens Military Training Camp (CMTC), the precursor to his military career. At sixteen, he began working in his father’s garage and machine shop, the beginning of his lifelong interest in all things technical and mechanical. His spirit of adventure, boldness and problem solving also emerged when he hitchhiked alone from Illinois to Pennsylvania.

Chuck made a profession of faith and was baptized on February 28, 1928. That faith was encouraged by his father and mother, the radio preaching of Paul Rader and regular attendance at Twin City Bible Church and was the essential faith foundation upon which the rest of his life was built. Chuck relished work: the railroad, a bleacher manufacturing company, the University of Illinois Talbot Laboratory, a 24-hour AAA emergency service and at his Dad’s machine shop, all while attending the University of Illinois.

Chuck first met Doris Christensen in 1935. That meeting led to friendship, developed into romance and finally marriage in Miami Beach, Florida on May 29, 1942. By that time, Chuck had finished Officer’s Candidate School as a second lieutenant and was fully engaged in WWII military service.

His military service began in 1939 when he was accepted into the Army Air Corps to be a flying cadet. However, an eye astigmatism ended his quest to become a pilot, a great disappointment. Instead be pursued officer training in Officer’s Candidate School and became an officer in 1942 just before his marriage to Doris. Shortly thereafter, he was transferred to Indianapolis, Indiana where Valerie was born in 1943 and Greg was born in 1945. With the ending of the war, Chuck returned to civilian work for United Airlines in Denver, Colorado. In 1948 he joined the Army Reserves and was shortly thereafter called to active duty as a Major in the Air Force. His military career resumed with an assignment in Frankfurt, Germany maintaining planes used to ferry goods into Berlin during the Berlin Airlift. It was there that James (Jim) Wood was born in 1950. In 1951, Chuck was transferred to Albuquerque, New Mexico where he worked in the development of “Special Weapons” aka, atomic bombs and other devices; then to “Special Weapons” logistics at Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio; “Special Weapons” on Guam; a return to Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio; and finally to Norton AFB, San Bernardino, California where he retired in 1963 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

From 1963 until 1973 Chuck worked as a civilian for Northrop Aircraft, Ralph M. Parsons and for his own consulting company. In 1973 he was hired by Northrop for an assignment in Tehran, Iran which he described as being the most interesting position of his career. The remainder of his working career until 1987 was constructing six houses, first in Dallas Texas and then in Prescott Arizona. Chuck and Doris moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1995.

In every work assignment, move, job, or career change a constant remained – his engagement and leadership in a local community of Christ followers through leading music, teaching, service on deacon and elder boards, and in organizations like CBMC, Billy Graham Association, and Campus Crusade for Christ while quietly extending a welcoming heart and a helping hand to those in need.

As Chuck observed in his book, The Way It Was, “We are all suspended like runners in a relay race between our parents and our children. We first learn from our parents, who run beside us for a very short distance, then we take the baton handed us and break away to carry it on. Typically, we are then running the race alone for another short period and then we must pass the baton on to our children… We slide away from them for a short while and then become spectators, - - - - and so goes history.” He truly cared for his family, community and country.

From Psalm 16, a few verses -- v.11. He is finally with the One Who made known to him the path of life. His heart is glad and his body rests secure, v.9. From a young man he set the Lord always before him…he would not be shaken, v. 8. He left us all, children, grandchildren, and friends a great spiritual legacy and heritage.

Charles Wood is survived by his wife Doris, his three children, Valerie (Wood) Hires and her husband George Hires; Gregory Wood and his wife Candace (Kemp) Wood; and James (Jim) Wood and his wife Teri (Odenthal) Wood; his grandchildren George Allen (Skip) Hires, Richard Hires, Christopher Hires, Jered Wood, Nathan Wood, Elisabeth (Wood) Greene, Andrew (Drew) Wood; and his greatgrandchildren Caleb Hires, Jason Hires, and Benjamin Hires, Audrey Hires, Lauren Hires, Charlotte Hires, and twins Jack Hires and Isla Hires, Ezekiel (Zeke) Wood, Zane Wood, Zaddok Wood, Skylar Greene, Megan Greene, Micah Wood, Lexie Wood, Marcus Wood and Baby Max (due in August), brother Rex Wood and many nieces and nephews.

Memorial donations in Charles Wood’s honor may be designated to Wycliffe’s Missionary Assistance Fund at  www.wycliffe.org  or send % WBT, PO Box 628200, Orlando Fl 32862-8200.

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