Personal Life
Service has been a cornerstone of my family for generations. It began with my great grandfather, O.M. Wood, who served Corinth as an Alderman, ViceMayor, and trustee of the Community Hospital. My grandfather, Luke Wood Sr., followed with decades of dedication as City Clerk for the City of Corinth. My father, Woody Wood, devoted his life to service as a U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret. That tradition continued with my brother, John Wood, a U.S. Navy veteran and retired Deputy Captain of the Corinth Fire Department, and now into the next generation, his sons currently serve our community as a Corinth firefighter (LJ) and as the resource officer (Corey) for the Corinth Police Department at Corinth Middle School.
Service also runs strong in education: my wife, Wendy, has devoted many years as a teacher’s assistant at First Baptist Kindergarten, and I am proud to have two-and-a-half nieces teaching at Corinth Elementary School (Kayla Wood, Lauren Green, and Briley Clement). And through it all, the true hero of our family is my sister, Ruth Anne Crotts, who has been styling Corinthians’ hair for generations “quietly” serving this community one conversation and one haircut at a time.
My mother, Chieko Wood, was the quiet strength behind everything our family stood for. A native of Saipan, Japan, she married my dad while he was in military service and brought her children to Corinth while he served in Vietnam. Known to us all simply as “Mama,” she raised three children largely on her own, working tirelessly for years at Garan Sewing, followed by ITT, and later Tecumseh. She lived a life defined by hard work, determination, and sacrifice, raising her children to be polite, thankful, grounded in Christian values, and guided by a strong work ethic. One of my greatest joys was when fellow Corinthians realized that “Chieko” was my mother and share their stories, always of her kindness, her warmth, and how they remembered that “she was a hard worker.” Those moments have always reminded me just how deeply her life touched this community and how blessed I was to call her my mom.