James Arlington Wood's Obituary
James (Jim) Arlington Wood died at home surrounded by family on Friday, December 5, 2025, in Lakeview, Michigan. Funeral service will be celebrated on Saturday, December 13th at 11:00 AM at Janowicz Funeral Chapel, 9977 W. Howard City-Edmore Rd., Lakeview, Michigan, with Pastor Dave Riley as officiant, interment at Lakeview Cemetery, luncheon following at Lakeview VFW Post, 506 Lincoln Avenue, Lakeview. Visitation will be held Friday, December 12 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at Janowicz Funeral Chapel.
He was born on January 15, 1935, in Millbrook Twp., Michigan, to Glenn and Norma (Petersen) Wood, and he was the oldest of two children. His family lived in Mancelona and Lansing before settling in Lakeview. As a child, he enjoyed sports, walking, and biking. He graduated from Lakeview High School in 1953 and entered the military. He served in the US Air Force during the Korean War, being stationed in Japan as a radio intercept operator, decoding messages out of Russia. He returned stateside to Alabama and he married Joyce (Kellogg) Wood on October 27, 1956, and together they had 4 children (Craig, Lynne, Randy, and Anne). While he was in the service, he completed USAFE correspondence classes, then attended Central Michigan University to complete both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. He started teaching as a high school math teacher at Lakeview High School in 1961 and retired in 1998—he was well-remembered for giving his students nicknames, sending them to the board to work out problems, and coining phrases like “gunkulator”, “guzinta”, and “show me I’m from Missouri”. He also coached varsity baseball and 8th grade basketball.
He remarried Shirley Wood (“Lovely Lee”) on April 20, 1985, and helped to raise her 4 children (Teresa, Julie, Lisa, Pamela). During the summer, he farmed and raised beef cattle and also helped to run the migrant school in Six Lakes. He was active in the Lakeview Veterans of Foreign Wars post, serving as post commander for several years, and did a lot of work advocating for veterans. In his free time, he enjoyed traveling with his wife and family, including several Viking River cruises with his wife Lee. He enjoyed reading military history, touring military battle sites, and collecting military memorabilia, especially from the Grand Army of the Republic. He also enjoyed collecting coins, especially Morgan silver dollars. He was an avid card player and Farkle player, and his family has lots of fun memories of playing during visits and holidays. He liked playing several wind instruments, often bringing these to sporting events and celebrations, his collection included bagpipes, tin and clay whistles, a conch horn, a trumpet, and a shofar.
He is survived by his wife Lee; children Craig Wood, Lynne (Rob) Bowers, Randy (Tracey) Wood, Anne Riley, Teresa (Greg) Gach, Julie Kellogg-Mortensen, Lisa Arnold, and Pamela Sparks; grandchildren Brianna (Trey) Barnett, Brandon (Sydney) Riley, Stacy (Ian) Bowers, Abbey Wood, Derek Wood, Brett Wood, Mike Sherman, Joshua Sherman, Lane Mortensen, Claire Arnold, Elise Arnold, Cole Arnold, Sienna Fouts, and Matheson Eyer; great-grandchildren Lillian and Gidian Bowers, and Thomas Barnett; sister Nancy (Jim) Nielsen- Campbell; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, mother of his children Joyce Wood, and son-in-law Terrill Mortensen.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the VFW National Home for Children in Eaton Rapids, Michigan or to a charity of choice.
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