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Betty Jean Wood
12/14/1927 — 11/06/2014
From Green Valley, Arizona | Born in Middleton, Ohio
Betty Jean Wood
Betty Jean Wood passed on November 6th peacefully at Santa Rita Nursing in Green Valley, Arizona. She was surrounded by her son Paul and daughter-in-law Carrie. She is preceded in death by her husband Zane and parents Violet and Clarence E. Greene. She is survived by her sisters, Terry Claves of Green River, Arizona and Phyllis McOmber of Richland, Washington. As well as her sons, Steve (Marina) Wood of Santa Monica, California; Thomas ( Pam) of Bellingham, Washington; Paul (Carrie) Wood of West Richland, Washington and her grandchildren Zane, Erica, Max and Oona.
Betty was born in Middletown, Ohio on December 14, 1927. She spent her youth in Ohio, and then later moved to Southern California. When Betty was young she showed and raised Tennessee Walker horses. Her horses were entered in shows, events, and parades. In high school her family moved to Richland, where she graduated from Columbia High and met the love of her life, Zane.
Betty and Zane were married on June 15, 1947, and moved to Pullman, Washington. They started a family, and then moved back to Richland where she raised their three sons. In 1965 they founded Wood’s Nursery & Garden Center, and opened doors to share their passion through the community. She was a smart business woman with a tireless work ethic. These values were passed down to her employees and her children.
During their life together Betty and Zane shared many hobbies and passions such as antiquing, fishing, boating on the Columbia River, gardening and of course bowling every Tuesday night in their 2X4 league. Her love for baseball was a cornerstone in her life. Whether it was the Columbia Little League or Seattle Mariners, her enthusiasm was unwavering to the sport. She helped run the little league concession stands in the fifties and early sixties, and spent many nights making popcorn to sell the next day at the Columbia Little League field. She loved the Seattle Mariners and could carry in a conversation with best of baseball fanatics. Betty and Zane would never miss a Richland Bomber basketball game and had season tickets for many years, which was a social event for Bomber fans. But most of all Betty was wonderful and great mother to her kids and adored her grandchildren. She cherished her friends, helped people and is missed by all she touched.
There will be a viewing from 5-8:00pm Friday, November 21 at Einan’s at Sunset. A graveside service will be held Saturday, November 22 at 12:00pm at Sunset Gardens in Richland. Please come share your memories of Betty when we celebrate her life. A gathering will follow the graveside at Events at Sunset at 1:00pm, off the By-Pass Hwy in Richland.
My heartfelt condolences on the loss of your mother. My parents, Jack and Kay Hess, both now gone, were friends of your parents and bowled on their team before the death of your dad and after. I have been reading my dads diaries and he mentions many Friday night suppers with the Woods and about the death of Zane. I know they held them in high regard. Diane
Mrs. Wood : thank you for running the concessions at Columbia Little League and for being such a pillar of our Richland community! People like you made our town safe and stable…it was a great time to be a kid in Richland!
I was a classmate and friend of your son, Paul,who was also my teammate on the Densow Drug minor league team. I lived down the street on Birch during the early 60’s and remember your house with all the wood carvings/sculptures. My dad was also a frequent customer of Wood’s Nursery.
As you enter your rest, we grieve losing you. I hope that you can now see the ripple effect of your life and how you helped shape even a young neighborhood kid.
Thank you.
My heartfelt condolences on the loss of your mother. My parents, Jack and Kay Hess, both now gone, were friends of your parents and bowled on their team before the death of your dad and after. I have been reading my dads diaries and he mentions many Friday night suppers with the Woods and about the death of Zane. I know they held them in high regard. Diane
Mrs. Wood : thank you for running the concessions at Columbia Little League and for being such a pillar of our Richland community! People like you made our town safe and stable…it was a great time to be a kid in Richland!
I was a classmate and friend of your son, Paul,who was also my teammate on the Densow Drug minor league team. I lived down the street on Birch during the early 60’s and remember your house with all the wood carvings/sculptures. My dad was also a frequent customer of Wood’s Nursery.
As you enter your rest, we grieve losing you. I hope that you can now see the ripple effect of your life and how you helped shape even a young neighborhood kid.
Thank you.
Guestbook for
Betty Jean Wood