John L. Wood

John Wood, 78, of Las Vegas, passed away on February 12, 2018 from pancreatic cancer.

John Lynn Wood was born March 1, 1939, in Bisbee, North Dakota. The son of George Portarlington and Gladys Iola Wood, he was the youngest of 8 children. His parents owned a small shop with a butcher counter.

After graduating from Wimbledon High School in 1957, John joined the US Army and was stationed in Hawaii. He came back to North Dakota after his enlistment to enroll in the University of North Dakota, studying education. It was there that he met Frances Knain at a party. Fran recalls how mad her friend was that John asked for her phone number, and that he had beautiful, big brown eyes. They were married on July 18, 1962 in Missoula, MT.

After graduating, John and Fran moved to Montana and then Idaho for teaching positions. They welcomed three sons in the early years of their life together: George in 1963, Daniel in 1965, and Matthew in 1967. In the summer of 1968, they moved to Las Vegas, NV. John loved to tell the story about how he had to borrow $25 from his principal, so that they could open an account at the teacher’s credit union and apply for a home loan.

John’s teaching career spanned four decades, and he received honors and commendations from the state for his service, including Nevada Industrial Arts Teacher of the Year. He touched many lives during his long tenure at Brinley Middle School, and many of his former students remember him as being one of the best teachers they ever had.

A man of deep loyalty and integrity, John was devoted to his family, and raised his sons to be hardworking, honorable men - mirroring their father’s dedication to family and responsibility. John had two granddaughters and five step-grandchildren. He said more than once that if he had known grandchildren were so much fun, he would have skipped kids and gone straight to grandkids.

John will be deeply missed by his family. He leaves behind his wife of 55 years, Frances; three sons, two granddaughters, one great-grandson, and many other extended family members, including one surviving brother, Jim Wood of Vancouver, WA.

A celebration of life will be held for John at Bunkers Eden Vale Mortuary Chapel at 925 Las Vegas Boulevard North on March 31, 2018 at 1:00pm. All are welcome to attend. Following the service, there will be a wake at Skinny Dugan’s pub on Charleston Blvd. Internment will occur at Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City, NV, at a later date.

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