Donald Dameron Wood Jr

Donald Dameron Wood Jr., 81, of Prairie Grove, Ark., passed away in his sleep on Oct. 20, 2022. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, and friend. His passion for serving others and integrity in all he did was unwavering. His infectious smile and laugh—even when it broke into a concerning wheeze, then a a scary cough and finally resulting in a face turned the color of Razorback red—will live on forever. Don was born in Helena, Ark. on Jan. 30, 1941. He grew up a Phillips County legend…at least in his own mind. According to him, he was as fast as the wind, smart as a whip, and the best brother ever. The family can't exactly confirm or deny these claims; but according to his two beloved younger sisters, he at least had the brother part right. After graduating from high school in 1959, Don was invited (and sometimes disinvited) over the next decade to attend multiple esteemed institutions—from academia to the military—in search of experiences to hone his brilliant mind, satisfy his inclination for a good game of bridge, make his mother and Pop proud, and ultimately begin building a life that made a difference. So never one to avoid the road less traveled, Don served his country proudly as a US Army Intelligence Officer, partly in Germany where he used that world-class mental agility training to convince a beautiful young lady from Arkansas to go on a date with him at a local winery that made terrible strawberry-flavored wine. Don went on to graduate college with honors but more importantly successfully woo that beautiful young lady from Arkansas with his oddly charming bad jokes, impeccable manners, Burt Reynolds-like looks, and fluent command of the German language—at least when ordering terrible strawberry-flavored wine. He and the beautiful young lady married in 1966 and had three children together with the last one's conception coming later in life, prompting the couple's early debate on whether the baby's emergence into the world was a "welcomed blessing" or a "delightful miscalculation" …the latter being Don's take on it. Despite any and all surprises over the next 56 years, Don was a force of nature for his family, determined to provide for them and give them a life full of love, laughter and the support they needed to be happy. His family and their happiness meant more to him than anything else in the world, something he proudly and often mentioned…and documented resulting in Library of Congress-size volumes of photos, film reels and VHS video to prove his endless devotion to family. Other than enjoying a night out with his bride, perhaps his favorite place to be, was in the audience or on the sidelines or wherever his children needed him to be. Anyone who worked, volunteered and/or was friends with Don knew he was incredibly smart, often stubborn, undeniably trustworthy, sometimes hot-tempered, forever generous, occasionally a pain-in-the-rear, forever fair and just…a perfectly imperfect person you could always count on to be there for those he knew and even those he would never meet. Even in the last months of his life while in hospice care, he made sure to playfully give the healthcare staff a hard time, douse them with inexplicable jokes only he found funny all the while praising them for putting up with him, especially towards his chief nurse (a.k.a. his wife). Don was preceded in death by his parents, Mary Virginia and Donald Sr., as well as his beloved Pop. He is survived by that beautiful young lady, his partner and bride for 56 years, Nancy; his children, Ester, Rebecca and Tex (a.k.a. Donald III); his grandchildren, Samantha, James, Isabella and Cameron; his sisters, Mary Banks and Mary Katherine; along with countless other family members, in-laws, "extra" children, and dear friends. No services will be held and the family requests no flowers. His friends and family are invited to share happy memories and celebrate his legacy of kindness and unselfishness by donating to an organization making a positive difference in the world. A couple that was close to his heart are the Nancy Wood Scholarship Fund (www.waballet.org/giving/ballet-scholarships/) and the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org). In his final days, Don started listening to country music through the TV in his nursing home room. He was a big fan of the classic country stars from his time as a young man. One of his favorites, Johnny Cash, once wrote, "All your life, you will be faced with a choice. You can choose love or hate…I choose love." From all of us that knew him…we just want to say a sincere "Thank you, Don/Dad" for choosing love and for sharing it with all of us.