Charles 'Chuck' Wood

Charles “A as in Arnold” Wood (Chuck) passed away Wednesday, June 12 at the age of 89. Born on April 13, 1935 in Rockford, Michigan Chuck lived life to its fullest. Joining the United States Air Force right out of high school, he was a very proud veteran, known to wear his Air Force hat right up until the time of his passing. He was honored with a Distinguished Service Medal and was honorably discharged. He married his beloved Mary Alice on October 29, 1960 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They were married in the beautiful St. Andrews Catholic church and were strong in their faith. Chuck was always quick to tell the story of having bologna spread sandwiches made by his mother at their wedding reception. They were members of Immaculate Conception Church for the past fifty years. Chuck was active in the church community and was the Deviled Egg specialist at many funeral luncheons. While raising their children, Chuck attended Ferris State University and graduated with a degree in Food Service Management. He used his education and passion for cooking to get a job at Traverse City Osteopathic Hospital and moved Alice and first three children to Traverse City. Their first home on Third Street was next to the Purkiss’s home, and the entire family has remained close to this day. Chuck made several career moves throughout his life, including: ownership of Tidy Car, driving a Jay’s Potato Chip truck (THANKS DAD!) and a postal worker. After retirement he volunteered with the DAV to drive veterans to appointments in Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Detroit and Saginaw. He logged in over one-hundred thousand miles. Perhaps even more than his passion for food service, Chuck was happiest behind the wheel. Whether it was a chip truck, a minivan, or a full size RV, he was always a man on the go. He especially loved traveling in an RV all over the United States with Alice by his side and their six kids in tow. There was always something to see and something to do. After the children were grown Chuck and Alice became snowbirds, wintering in Florida and Texas, and were able to visit many family members along the way there. They also traveled to Mexico, where he relied on Alice’s native Spanish speaking to guide them through towns and villages. This was perhaps one of the only times he let Alice do the talking. Chuck loved to talk to everyone. He could befriend anyone and was eager to share many stories of his experiences. In his later years, Chuck’s interest in genealogy led to visits to descendants of the Wood family. His love for baseball and hockey led him to many years of coaching in the field and on the ice. Travel hockey with all four of his sons was another way he could be at the wheel. Coach Wood was a driving force on the ice and the road. He was a devoted fan of Tiger baseball, Red Wing Hockey, Lion Football and any sport involving his Michigan State Spartans. He was not shy about rooting for Green and White over Maize and Blue, even if that made him the minority in the house. He also had a lifelong love of boxing. He would attend Golden Glove tournaments with his sons and a dear friend Ken Van Portfleet. Chuck loved making memories, often recording them on video, with all of his children and grandchildren. Known to the latter as Papa, he was sometimes scary because of his jarring tone and demands to try everything. He was very fond of saying “It’s not gonna kill ya!” He may have been tough, but his children learned the value of hard work and resilience. He was a bit more of a pushover with his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Still, he was always willing to provide them all with whatever they needed in good times and bad. Chuck knew what it was like to have hard times. He was separated from his siblings for a short time in his youth but managed to sometimes turn that situation to his advantage. He was placed with the Bailey family, who were affiliated with Corner Bar in Rockford. When lunchtime at school came around he would say he “forgot” his lunch and would be sent home. He would return to school, teasing the other kids that he had hot dogs and chocolate milk. It was one of his favorite stories to share with others. He turned his lessons into a lifetime of economic security. He always got his money’s worth out of every dollar he spent. This strict adherence to a budget resulted in his second favorite remark “how much did that cost ya?” This didn’t make him cheap though, he enjoyed many of the finer things. He especially enjoyed his nightly glass of scotch and he loved a great rare steak. In 1999 Chuck was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. It was successfully removed and though he suffered two grand mal seizures, he was soon back to his old self, but not without a few adjustments to his daily habits. His doctor told him he had to give up the scotch and switch to red wine instead. He was fond of telling people his doctor told him it was fine to have one glass of wine a night. As the years went by his tastes brought him to a love of Merlot and the desire to find a bigger glass. Throughout the years, Woodchuck hosted many barbecues, with the tongs in one hand and his glass of wine in the other. He could grill or smoke up the best meals in the neighborhood. He also created the Annual Pig Roast at the American Military League. He brought family and friends together, some a bit earlier in the day than others, to get that pig on the pit. Each year he would say, ”I want to do one last pig before I go to the happy hunting ground.” We were blessed to have so many years of “one last pig.” Chuck was preceded in death by his father, Oscar Wood, his mother, Eva (nee Phillips), and his step-father Bernard March, three brothers: Duke, Vern and George, sister Linda and a grandson Nicholas Mills. He will be greatly missed by his wife Alice, his children Craig (Ana), Lisa (Sid) Greenwood, Todd (Laurie), Marc (Janet), Sabrina (Bryan) Mallow, Rodney (Tiffany), 18 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren. He will also be missed by his little sister, Yvonne Brown and many nieces and nephews from all of his siblings. A visitation will take place at Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral home on Friday, June 21st from 5-7pm. A celebration of Chuck's life will be held at the Funeral Home on Saturday, June 22 at 11:00 am with visitation one hour prior. Chuck will be laid to rest at Oakwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the American Military League in Chuck's honor

Charles 'Chuck' Wood

April 13, 1935 - June 12, 2024