Thomas Wood

Obituaries

April 8, 2010 - 12:00 AM

Thomas Beverly Wood, 90, died Wednesday, April 7, 2010, at Allen County Hospital in Iola.

He was born Oct. 23, 1919, the son of Lawrence Vivian (L.V.) and Gladys (Hartman) Wood, the fourth of seven children on a ranch south of Norwich. He graduated from Zenda Grade School and from LaHarpe High School in 1939. He went to trade school at Chanute Junior College for a year and then worked at Boeing in Wichita before joining the Army Air Force.

He was trained to work on P38 twin engines fighters, AT6 single engine advanced trainers and B-17 bombers. He served in the Phillippines and later in Japan where he worked on photo-reconnaisance planes. He was honorably discharged in 1946 and returned to the farm to help his father.

On Dec. 19, 1947, he married Evelyn Coltrane in Topeka. He went to work for Great Lakes Pipeline, working on Allison engines which were being used on their pipelines until better equipment could be added to the pumping stations. They moved to Kincaid shortly after taking this job, working at the Selma Station. In 1951, the family moved to Iola in support of pipeline construction. At the conclusion of construction work, he was assigned to the Great Lakes pumping station about seven miles east of Humboldt. The family moved to Humboldt in September 1951. He continued to work at the Humboldt station until 1974, working his way up to area supervisor for Williams Pipeline. The couple moved to the family farm north of Gas in 1977. She died Jan. 3, 2000.

He was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Iola. During his time in Humboldt, he served as a school board member for 16 years. He also served as an Allen County commissioner for four years.

He is survived by four sons, Tom and his wife, Joan, Winfield, Tim and his wife, Rosann, Lenexa, Kendall and his wife, Cheryl, Woodland Park, Colo., and Kevin and his wife, Adela, Leawood; a brother, Richard W., San Diego, Calif.; six grandchildren, Lisa Wood, Leslie Fulton, Joe Wood, Kristen Wood, Kelly Wood and Thomas Wood; and a great-grandson.

A brother, Joseph Henry, was killed during World War II. Four sisters, Virginia J. Albright, Dorothy A. McCoy, Muriel J. Bohrer and Aileen F. Ballenger, also died earlier.

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Waugh-Yokum & Friskel Memorial Chapels in Iola.

Funeral services will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church in Iola. The Rev. Jim Rausch will officiate. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery.

Memorials to First Presbyterian Church may be left at the funeral home. Online condolences for the family may be left at iolafuneral.com.

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