Howard Wood 1935 - 2019

 Howard H. Wood died November 27, 2019, at his daughter’s home, surrounded and supported by all those he loved most. He was quite healthy and living on his own until just three weeks before he passed.

Howard was fortunate and hard-working enough to live many of his dreams. With the partnership of his ex-wife and mother of his children, Carol, he became a wildlife biologist and worked in the hunting and fishing paradise of Alaska in the '60s and '70s. His four daughters grew up playing in the woods, lakes, creeks and mountains near Tok, Alaska. With ADF&G, Howard made trips to an Arctic island to transplant musk oxen, worked on bison roundups, captured wild wolf pups to breed in Labrador dog lines, etc. It was an exciting time and place. When one daughter needed better health care, they returned to the family farm outside Amity. There he ran Double Down Duck Club, farming the ponds, using his award-winning duck calling skills and drinking coffee in the cold for workdays that started at 5:00 a.m. and gave him a lot of satisfaction. He also did some consulting work, putting that biology degree to good use. On days other than Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, he fished all over western and Central Oregon when he was younger, then on the Salmon and Nestucca rivers for the last 20 years of his life. He had many good friends on the coast and spent so much time over there it was really his second home. He famously finished until the last possible moment, scaring us to death by coming home way, way after dark. He included grandkids in these adventures as often as he could rope them into it, and all have many memories of camping and fishing with Grandpa Howard. His love of children continued after he could no longer get out to hunt or fish much, and spending time with the great-grandkids became his favorite recreation. It was always a treat for him to go to a family party and watch the little kids play.

A Celebration of Life gathering will be at 1:00 p.m. Sunday, December 15, at his home outside Amity (if you know where it is, you’re invited). Lunch will be served.