James T. Wood, Jr.

Services for James T. Wood, Jr., 99, will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2020 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 4736 Lyba Rd., Shreveport, Louisiana. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. with mass to follow at 11:00 a.m. Burial will immediately proceed at Forest Park East Cemetery in Shreveport, Louisiana with the U.S Navy doing full military honors. Officiating the service will be Father Mike Thang'wa and Deacon Clary Nash. Mr. Wood was born on September 1, 1920 to James T. Wood, Sr. and Mary "Mae" Walker Wood in Marshall, Texas and passed away Tuesday, August 11, 2020 in Bossier City, Louisiana. He was just 20 days shy of 100 years old. Mr. Wood was a faithful Catholic and husband. He worked very hard to support his family. In November of 1940, he went to work for the Texas and Pacific Railroad, also known as Union Pacific Railroad. He was also a skilled machinist. In 1942, he was called into active duty and joined the U.S. Navy as a 1^st mate machinist. During the three year and seven months of duty, Mr. Wood served 42 months on foreign soil. He served on two ships- The Hill Republic and the U.S.S. Lindenwold. He was discharged from active duty on November 20, 1945, and returned to work with the railroad for 42 years before his retirement. He was an active member of The Knights of Columbus for many years. Mr. Wood is preceded in death by his wife of 71 years, Johnnie Hilton Wood, parents and sister, Beth Linker who passed last year at the age of 98. He is survived by his three children; son, Jim Wood and wife Deborah; daughters, Kathy Burge and husband Tommy and Fran Bradshaw and husband James; ten grand-children, 16 great-grandchildren and six great-great grandchildren. Serving as pallbearers will be Members of the Knights of Columbus. Thank you to the workers, therapists and staff at Heritage Manor for their wonderful care of our dad. A special thank you to Tim and Elaine Smith for your calls, cards and for being so faithful to come by and take our dad to mass for many years. To each of you that have been so kind to help with your prayers and support, we truly appreciate every single one. The family appreciates the many cards, phone calls and support given during this time.