George’s Obituary George William Wood was born in Wheaton, Illinois June 23rd, 1933. He was the youngest of three children raised by John & Sylvia Wood. At the age of 12, World War II ended and the victory in both the European and Asian theaters had a great impact on George who became a very patriotic citizen.
A year later he believed God was calling him to be a missionary – to live cross-culturally and to tell people about the Good News of Jesus Christ. He graduated from Seattle Pacific College (now University) in 1955 with a B.S. degree in Bacteriology & Public Health. While at SPC he met a beautiful young freshman girl named Elsie whom he married Dec.
18th of that year in Walla Walla, WA. Two years later their first child, Cynthia Lynn, was born. Then their second daughter, Rebecca Ann, was born two years after that.
George completed his Master of Divinity degree (MDiv) from Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA. in 1958. From there they did their two-year requirement as pastor and family in the Joyce Bible Church, Joyce, WA.
By 1960 George, newly ordained as a minister, and his family were appointed by the Christian & Missionary Alliance (C&MA) to serve as church-planting missionaries and language students in Vietnam. Due to family illness they had to return to the United States in 1963 while the war in Vietnam was escalating. From 1965 until 1973 George pastored the Kent Alliance Church, Kent, WA.
where their son Michael Bertin was born. Desiring to return to the mission field the C&MA agreed and assigned them to the International Church of Vientiane, Laos where they resided from Jan. 1974 – May 1975.
At that time Laos was taken over by the communists and the Wood family fled to Bangkok, Thailand. After the move, George became the Director of Far Eastern Broadcasting Company (FEBC) of Thailand from 1978 – 1982. During this time they were in Thai language study, ministered in a Vietnamese refugee camp and also taught at the Bangkok Bible College & Seminary (BBCS).
After a year of furlough they ministered in church planting in Northeastern Thailand. After their next furlough they returned to BBCS for another nine years, teaching in the Thai language. By this time George had earned his Doctor of Ministry degree (DMin) from Fuller Theological Seminary.
The year before they retired was spent as Missionaries in Residence at Salem Alliance Church, Salem, Ore. By 1998 George & Elsie retired as missionaries and moved to the Puyallup, WA area. Until Feb 2019 he volunteered his time in many ways with Fox Island Alliance Church and Lighthouse Christian Center.
George enjoyed life to the full. He enjoyed playing tennis, boating, motorcycle riding, Ham radio, remote control airplanes, traveling, gardening, volunteering at church and taking flying lessons. George is survived by his loving wife Elsie Esther Filan Wood – married for 63 years, daughter Rebecca Ann Wilson, son Michael Bertin Wood, nine grandchildren, and ten great-grand children.
He was pre-deceased by his daughter Cynthia Lynn Wood Dineen, half sister Mary Ellen Somner and brother John Wood. His memorial service will be on Mar. 23rd, 2019 at Lighthouse Christian Center at 10:30am.
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