Bobby Gene Wood

Bobby Gene Wood was born on January 20, 1946, in Norwood, MO, and departed this world on June 1, 2018, near Sedalia, MO. Bobby was 72 years, 4 months, and 12 days old at his passing. Bobby was preceded in death by his father, Walter Wood of Mountain Grove, his mother, Opal Davis Ortwein, of Aurora, MO, and a nephew, Lonnie Long, of Wichita, KS. Bobby is survived by his wife Barbara of Sedalia; four children, Joshua Bodell-Jones (wife Sarah) of Springfield, MO; Hannah Wood of Versailles, MO; Caleb Wood of Versailles, MO; and Sarah Nye (husband Christopher) of Sedalia; One grandson, Micah Nye, of Sedalia; Two sisters, Iva Ballard (husband Jim) of Wichita, KS; and Lottie Long (husband Francis, or “Bud”) also of Wichita; several nieces, great-nieces and nephews, cousins, and many friends. Bobby lived the early years of his life on a small farm near Green Mountain, Missouri, and went to a one room school there. His family attended the Baptist church. Bobby told many stories of life on the farm. He enjoyed using his “little single-shot 22” to hunt groundhogs. He also enjoyed when his mother would take them out gathering greens in the spring of the year. On rainy days, Bobby's dad would take him fishing with a cane pole, which was great, but when the weather was fair, it was “picking rocks and cutting sprouts,” which none of the children enjoyed very much. Bobby's sisters moved to Wichita, KS, when they grew up, and eventually Bobby was living there with his mother, too. Bobby graduated from North High School in Wichita in 1964. He worked several different jobs in the years that followed, including being a hospital orderly and cleaning cars for a used car lot. Eventually, Bobby went back to Mountain Grove and began working for Fordick Corporation, a small factory that made wooden lawn items like picnic tables and trellises. In 1987, Bobby met Barbara Jones of Fair Grove, Missouri, who was living in Norwood. They met on a blind date to a revival at Southside Baptist Church in Mountain Grove, where Bobby was a member. The couple were married 6 weeks later and lived in Mountain Grove for many years. Bobby preferred for his wife to be a stay-at-home-mom, and always worked hard to provide for the family. He worked at Fordick for over 20 years. He never was one to complain about hard work. Most of those years, Bobby worked as a painter, and often came home covered in white paint. Bobby always made sure the family went to church. He made it a priority for the family to eat meals together, and to have a time of “family devotions” every evening before bed. He also often read aloud to the children. He particularly enjoyed the chapter books written by Thornton W. Burgess, which feature a whimsical look at life in the forest through the eyes of the wild creatures. Bobby was a big kid at heart, and the ultimate family man. He loved going for bike rides with the children, playing board games, and going to the playground with them. One thing he particularly enjoyed doing was taking a can of Turtle Wax to the park and waxing the slides. They were really slick when he got done and the children loved it. Bobby felt it was important to evangelize and often carried Bible tracts in his pockets to give to anyone he met. He and his family often went with a group of friends to play and sing old gospel songs at area nursing homes. Anyone who knew Bobby any length of time was aware of his sense of humor. He could make a comment that was simple and wise, yet make everyone laugh at the same time. One of his greatest joys was to repair the bicycles of the neighborhood children. Bobby was often referred to as “the bicycle man” and would diligently work to fix a wobbly wheel or stuck brake cable even if he had to stay up all night to do it. He didn't like to charge for his work and was generous to all who knew him. In spite of his cheerful nature, Bobby had a difficult life. He would be the first to tell you, “I've had a lot of trouble with my nerves.” He relied on his faith in Jesus to continue working in spite of a number of hospitalizations. In the year 2000, however, Fordick Corporation had a turnover in management and switched from working with wood to working with plastics. It was difficult for Bobby to learn the new jobs, so he retired and went on disability at that time. The family stayed in Mountain Grove until 2009 when a particularly difficult episode with his nerves resulted in Bobby moving into Four Seasons Living Center near Sedalia. He lived there for a number of months and then returned home for awhile, but ultimately had to go back to Four Seasons where he lived the last six years of his life. Bobby was diagnosed with cancer during that time. Bobby and Barbara made an effort to have weekly date nights from about 2005 until the end, and both of them would encourage other couples to make that a priority as well. Bobby was much loved by the staff at Four Seasons for his cheerfulness and sense of humor. He often sang hymns and country songs with the staff. Bobby was a unique individual, and his family all agree it was a privilege to be related to him. He will be missed greatly. A memorial service will be held at Rea Funeral Chapel in Sedalia, MO, at 2pm on Sunday, June 10, 2018. Memorial contributions are suggested to Food for the Hungry in care of Rea Funeral Chapel.