John "JD" David Wood
August 8, 1935 - November 26, 2024
John David ''JD'' Wood of Monticello, Arkansas was born August 8, 1935, in Brickeys, Arkansas to the late Eugene D. Wood and Midred McElduff Wood. He owned and operated Tyro Pallet Company and Sawmill in Dumas, Arkansas and was a member of the Andrews Chapel Methodist Church of Wilmar, Arkansas.
He is survived by his wife of fifty years, Mary Jane Hunter Wood; son, Don Wood and wife Crystal; daughter, Amanda Stafford and husband Jim; six grandchildren, Emily Zipperer, Brice Stafford, Mary Bradberry, Candace Hurst, Brecken Perry, and Hunter Stafford; and eight great grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Elmer Wood and James Wood; five sisters, Shirley Lawson, Minnie Sue Davis, Joe Ann Ashburn, Sarah Fletcher, and Louise Wood.
John was brought into this world on August 8, 1935, in a small town of Brickeys, Arkansas, near Marianna, by a midwife known as Aunt Willa-Mae. He was born during the great depression. He quit school in the 8th grade to help farm and provide food for their family. He tried out a few different careers, one of which led him to California. But he knew he had found his true calling when he took a job logging in Wyoming. He had fond memories of his time spent there.
Eventually JD made his way back to Arkansas and found his way towards the southeast part of the state. He started a business building furniture squares. He did some logging around Lincoln and Desha counties, Campbell Brake and Tillar Brake. A man named Loyd Smith convinced him to start a new adventure of building pallets. So, he joined him at Mr. Loyd's shop, and they started their new business. During that time, Mary came to the mill looking for a job and John put her to work. Not only did she get the job, she ended up getting a husband.
After some time went by, Loyd got cold feet and JD was determined. He ended up buying some land down the road and building his pride and joy, a sawmill and pallet company from the ground up. Mary supported him every step of the way. He was proud of the saw cab he designed out of an old cotton picker cab with a fancy captain's chair, toggle switches, gear shifters, and handles, an ac window unit and air horn with a draw handle that he enjoyed terrorizing the workers with. Amanda fondly remembers when she was a kid spending more time trying to get out of work than actually working and absolutely hated the sound of that horn because it meant either she had messed up or break time was over. Two times meant breaks were over, one time meant it was time to shut it down and if he held down on it continuously someone was about to get their butt handed to them! He had a setup that he could oversee the operation from the moment logs were brought in to where he would grab them and load one onto his saw conveyor and run back and forth until he got every bit of good out of it.
JD especially loved it when folks came to visit him while he did what he loved, sawing logs. He would get tickled that a banker, Mr. Jack Franks, in his three-piece suit would find amazement in standing in an old cotton picker cab watching him work. But he would always say he wouldn't be where he was without humble beginnings, hard work, and dedication. JD was a no-nonsense man and didn't tolerate laziness. Very few employees were cut out to work for John Wood! But the ones that ''survived'' became part of the family. Grandkids came along and started to soften him up a bit. He enjoyed his hunting adventures, especially the ones bear hunting in Canada, with his close friends Harold ''R'' Smith. We honestly don't know where ''R'' came from because Mr. Harold's middle name was Wayne, but nevertheless, the ''R'' has always stuck!
JD eventually retired and he and Mary relocated to Monticello to be closer to family. He never really enjoyed retirement like most do because all he knew was work. There were not too many days that went by where he didn't reminisce or talk about his logging or sawmill days. He lost most of his vision about 10-12 years ago, but he always stayed positive about it. That was one great quality he had, always striving for the positive and never wallowing in the pity or negativity.
Towards the end Amanda asked JD if he was saved, because let's be honest, that's all that really matters in this world, and he quickly replied, ''yes and I was baptized in the St. Francis River when I was 19 years old''. A month or so later she asked the same question again, and he replied the same ''yes and I was baptized int the St. Francis River when I was 19 years old. In closing he had a few different sayings but the one that always stuck out is ''Life is what you make of it…. You can make it hard, or you can make it easy, but the choice is up to you.''
Graveside services will be 1:00 p.m. Friday, November 29, 2024, in Andrews Chapel Cemetery in Wilmar, Arkansas, with Rev. Ab Pevey officiating. Visitation will follow the graveside services from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the Andrews Chapel Methodist Church. You can sign JD's guestbook here on his page.
Obituary Provided By:
943 Highway 425 North
Monticello, AR 71655
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