Ralph Thomas Wood, age 83, of Clarkesville, GA, passed Monday, July 25, 2022.
Ralph was born in Commerce, GA to Allie Lee (Burroughs) Wood and Lester Paul Wood as the 8th of 13 children. He married the love of his life, Jimmie Ruth (Lewallen) Wood, before joining the Air Force in 1957 where he served as an ammunition’s expert and Master Sergeant.
13 years later, with an honorable discharge, he moved to Alpine, Wyoming and ran a successful business for more than a decade. Passionate about helicopters, he pursued a Private ASEL license and proudly rebuilt a Bell 47 helicopter.
He then spent nearly two decades as a Service Manager for Chrysler, GM, and Honda dealerships in the Midwest to help turn their service departments into success stories.
He retired and returned to Georgia to live out his days in his proudly crafted home in the mountains of Clarkesville, GA, where he built furniture and tinkered with cars and rotorcraft in his free time.
If you could dream it up, he could build it. If you could drive it or fly it, he could fix it. He lived by the saying “It’ll only cost you a few pennies more to go first class”.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers John Wood, Lester Wood, A.J. Wood, Harold Wood, Charles Wood, and Jimmy Wood and sister Ruby Hall.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 65 years, Jimmie Ruth (Lewallen) Wood, children Ann Knopp (David) of Seattle, WA, Judy Bailey of Buford, GA, Gail (Tony) Lorentz of Idaho Falls, ID, and Gary (Beth) Wood of Cornelia, GA, 16 grandchildren, 27 great grandchildren, 2 great-great grandchildren, siblings Eunice Banks, Dink Wood, Brenda Wells, Teddy Wood, and Mary Kormanik.
A small memorial service will be held for the immediate family.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, North Chapel at 245 Central Avenue, Demorest, Georgia 30535
