A memorial service for Mary Alvalyn Wood, 100, of Chickasha will be held at a later date in the Ferguson Funeral Home Chapel.

Mary was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma on June 16, 1922 and died April 26, 2023 in Chickasha surrounded by her family. Her parents were Alvy and Rose Mildred (Bush) Norman.

For the early 20s Mary had a bit of excitement in her life. At three years of age, she rode a train from Chickasha to Los Angeles, and returned at five years in a Model T (The vehicle was seen in the Verden area for several years.) and had interesting experiences the rest of her life.

After spending two years in California, the family moved back to Oklahoma on a farm near Verden, Oklahoma. Mary attended and excelled in the Verden schools and graduated from Oklahoma College for Women (OCLA) and Wright State University in Ohio with a MS degree. While growing up on the farm, she had only boy cousins and boy neighbor children to play with thus becoming proficient with marbles, tops, shooting guns and horseback riding.

During Mary’s junior year in college, she met cadet Crispin Melton Wood from California who was attending W & B Flight School in Chickasha. They were married in 1942 in Indianapolis, Indiana at Meridian Street Methodist Church after Crispin was commissioned a lieutenant in the Air Force. Crispin earned two Master’s Degrees and spent 27 years in service as pilot and Logistic Specialist, of which eight years were devoted as a university professor of ROTC at the University of Washington and the Air Force School of Logistics. Mary supported and helped with these endeavors, even with three children, many moves across country, including two to Japan.

Mary’s work career consisted of a few short-time positions wherever her husband was stationed. Other employment was as secretary in the laboratory of Hammond General Military Hospital for returning wounded from the South Pacific during World War II, in the Procurement Department at Baer Military Base in Indiana, Chief Deputy Superintendent of San Luis Obispo County Schools in California, taught high school and advanced sixth graders in Japan for five years and finished as Director of Planning for Mental Health and Drug Programs for Ohio Greene and Clinton counties.

In 1980, both Mary and Crispin retired and came to Oklahoma to help with Mary’s mother and aunt. They found time to travel to California, Canada, and several other states and take some cruises before Crispin’s untimely death in 1987. Mary had some other interesting trips to Utah. England, Taiwan, and Turkey. The next several years were spent doing a lot of reading, working on her new residence, enjoying vacationing with friends and past military acquaintances, being with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Along with this, she spent many years as president and member of the Brookridge Townhouse Association in its developing stages in the Precinct Two Grady County Election Board.

The three children of Mary and Crispin were Karen Alvalyn Wood Moran (Duane) deceased, Norman Crispin Wood and Donald Alan Wood (Janice). Grandchildren are Valerie Wood Choe (Joe), Caitlin Wood Stanton (Joshua), and Brendon Crispin Wood Moran, and six great-grandchildren.

Mary felt fortunate for the good things she had in life and for her family. She felt she lived the good life.  Services and cremation arrangements are under the direction of Ferguson Funeral Home.