Obituary: William N. 'Bill' Wood

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[William N. "Bill" Wood, 85, longtime resident of Omaha, died on Wednesday, March 7, 2012, in Charlier Hospice Center in Evansville, Ind.

Bill, as most knew him, was born on Sept. 18, 1926, in Kirkwood, Mo. to the late Carna and Nellie (Starkey) Wood. On Dec. 25, 1947, he married the former Doris (Cox) Wood, who preceded him in death in 1981.

Bill served his country in the Army during World War II and was in the Philippines and Japan. He retired from the Illinois Dept. of Transportation where he was the head of the Portable Truck Scales unit. He was a faithful member of the Omaha General Baptist Church, where he was a deacon. He was a member of the American Legion and VFW and the Norris City Masonic Lodge. He loved the outdoors. Bill was a good husband, father, grandfather and brother; he will be missed by the community.

Bill is survived by three children: a daughter, Debra (Scott) Brown of Ridgway; two sons, Kent Wood of McLeansboro and Brent Wood of Omaha; two grandchildren, Keesha Wood Smith and Kyle Wood; and two sisters, Sue Kinsall of Grayville and Mary Ann (Sam) Taber of Charleston.

Funeral service for Bill will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 10, 2012, at the Omaha General Baptist Church in Omaha, where the family will receive friends for visitation after noon. Masonic rites will be performed at 1:30 p.m. The Rev. Bill Dudley and the Rev. Blaine Felty will officiate and interment will follow at the Palestine No. 2 Cemetery near Omaha. Military rites will be performed at the gravesite.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the John and Betty Charlier Hospice Center and envelopes will be available at the church.

Cox and Son funeral home in Ridgway is entrusted with the arrangements.