Orval E. Wood

March 18, 1922 – December 27, 2016

Orval E. Wood passed away Dec. 27, 2016 in Spokane, Wash. He was a man of great faith, one who loved the outdoors and whose greatest pride was his family and friends.

He was born March 18, 1922 in Ladysmith, Wis., the son of Seth and Esther (Wells) Wood. Orval attended Clear Lake High School in Wisconsin and enlisted in the U.S. Army in October 1940 at Fort Snelling, Minn.

In June 1942, Orval became an Army Air Corps Cadet in St. Louis, Mo. and later transferred to Scottsdale, Ariz. for Primary Flight Training in the Stearman PT-17. Orval completed Basic and Advanced Pilot training and was commissioned as an Army Air Corps Second Lieutenant in October 1943. Orval served in World War II in Italy in the 5th Squadron, 90th Photo Recon Wing flying the P-38 and completing over 50 missions. During the Korean War, Orval participated in airlift operations flying transport aircraft. He later became an instructor and check pilot in the C-124 aircraft. During his military career, he was stationed at Great Falls, Mont., Travis Air Force Base (AFB), Calif., Tokyo, Japan and Donaldson AFB in Greenville, S.C., where he retired at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Following Orval’s military service, he moved his family to Spokane, Wash. where he worked for Dishman Dodge. He later worked for the Washington State Employment Security Department in Yakima, Ephrata and Moses Lake, after which he fully retired.

Orval was married to Marion O’Brien in Great Falls, Mont. in 1950 and was a loving husband and father. He and Marion were married for 57 years and raised five children. Following Marion’s passing in 2007, Orval married Juanita Morris in 2009 in Spokane, Wash. Orval is survived by his loving spouse Juanita Morris of Spokane; five children Mike (Rosie) Proteau of Spokane, Gloria (Tom) Slagle of Two Rivers, Alaska, Scott Wood of Spokane, Barbara (Randal) Wagner of Cheney, Paul (Michelle) Wood of Bellevue, Wash., eight grandchildren and stepson Terry (Sue) Morris of Phoenix, Ariz.

Rosary Vigil will be Monday, Jan. 2, 2017 at 7 p.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 304 S. Adams Rd., Spokane Valley, Wash. Funeral Mass will be celebrated Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017 at 2:30 p.m., also at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Internment will take place at East Lincoln Cemetery in Amery, Wis. at a date and time to be determined.