Thomas Wood

Tom, age 69, passed away on Wednesday afternoon, July 10, 2019, overlooking Beadle Lake, following a ten year battle with cancer. He fought to the end and has come out a winner.

A funeral service for Tom will be at St. Philip Church, 30 W. Van Buren St., Battle Creek, MI 49017, on Tuesday, July 16th at 11:00. The family will be greeting friends starting at 10:00 at the church. The celebration of Tom's life will continue at St. Philip Social Hall immediately following the Mass. Please join the family in support and celebration. We all have our “Tom” stories to share.  Tom was born on July 4, 1950 in Battle Creek, MI to Marion and Lena (Maddalena) Wood. They preceded him in death along with his sister-in-law, Mary Gorny Wood, his maternal grandparents, Otto and Maria Maddalena, and paternal grandparents, Joseph and Mary Wood. He married Susan Haywood on June 8, 1974. They recently celebrated their 45th anniversary with dinner on their lake deck prepared and served by dear friends, Mike Sartor and Greg Woodard.  Tom had three children and eight grandchildren. Surviving are his wife Susan, son Jeremy and his wife Sarah, along with their children Kaylynn and Oliver; daughter Marissa Voke, her husband Marvin, and their children Madison Klemmer, Mariyanna, Maxwell, Marley, and Malachi; and daughter Bonnie Lewis, her husband David, and their daughter Sloane. Also surviving are two brothers, Mike Wood (Mary) and their children Jason, Amy, and Kelly (Travis); and David Wood. He also had a faithful companion, Izzo (yes, he was an avid Michigan State University fan) who is grieving and missing his nights alone on the deck with Tom. Tom worked in the family business, Imperial Tile and Carpet for most of his life. He earned his degree in Statistics after the family business closed. He worked at American Village Builders, Battle Creek Health Systems and his cousin's business, Maverick Trucking doing statistical/data work. He was truly a man of numbers. He loved his spreadsheets and collecting data on anything and everything. He never made a decision without getting all the facts together. If you could give Tom a reason to create a spreadsheet or analyze data, he embraced it with enthusiasm.  Tom had a passion for rugby and was a member of the first Battle Creek Griffons team. He played for twenty five years and eventually coached and officiated rugby games. He truly was a dedicated rugger. Golf was also a sport he loved and he organized a number of golf outings for classmates and others. Tom never gave up fighting his cancer. Over the course of his disease he and Sue travelled to MD Anderson, University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania and of course the University of Michigan. The two of them fought the cancer together never questioning what was the next treatment for him. They made the best of each journey and making wonderful friendships and connections along the way.  During times of remission Tom and Sue were able to travel with their teardrop trailer to Tennessee, Texas, Georgia, Arizona, South Carolina, California, and of course the beautiful state of Michigan and the upper peninsula. The waterfalls were also a delight for him. Enjoying Martha's Vineyard was a trip he cherished each year finding odd jobs that he could do for his cousin and enjoying the peace of the ocean environment. Tom has fought the battle and has found his forever home.

In lieu of flowers, Tom would much rather you give to:

Battle Creek Area Catholic Schools

Hospice of Southwest Michigan

The family would like to express their sincere thanks and love for the friendships that have been created over the years. They are forever cherished.