Ben F. Wood

Born February 17, 1920, in Athens, Tennessee, Ben Fred Wood was born to Maude and Earl Wood.  His family moved periodically to follow work, settling in the late 1920’s. Always eager to work, he had several jobs in high school, including working in the school library and cleaning the furnace at a local girls’ school. It was in these years he met Margaret Modrall, the love of his life.

In 1942, with only a high school education, Ben enlisted in the Army Air Corps. Following recruit training, he was sent to Selfridge Field, north of Detroit. Assigned initially to the Office of the Post Engineer, he was engaged in a myriad of assignments including personal driver for the Post Commander and drawing a regular cartoon strip for the Selfridge Field News. Ben and Margaret married while at Selfridge Field.  It was there he learned of and was accepted into the brand-new U. S. Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program. He was first sent to Kings College in Bristol, Tennessee where he completed math, physics and other college level courses. Ben next went on to complete primary, basic and advanced flight training, after which he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. The War ended before he was deployed. This experience, for him, was a source of immense pride and spurred a life-long enthusiasm for aviation.

Following the birth of Ben and Margaret’s third child, they moved to Wheaton, Illinois where they lived and raised their family. In Wheaton, Ben first worked for Van Kampen Press where one of his early assignments was for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. As a freelance artist, he was art director and planner for American Greetings and Vollano Greeting Card Companies. He designed book covers for Moody Bible Institute, Scripture Press, and Zondervan Publishing Company. At the request of an adjunct faculty member, he taught advertising at Wheaton College for two semesters. He opened Ben Wood & Associates, an advertising agency that did work for Wheaton College, various Christian colleges, Scripture Press and others.

Ben never really retired. After selling his advertising agency, he and Margaret moved to Sarasota, Florida, where, while in his 60’s, he became Advertising Director for Richmond Homes, a regional production home builder. Later he worked as Art Director for The Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts in Hinsdale, Illinois where he worked on the Character Sketch books and various other Institute publications. He designed and oversaw construction of the airstrip and hangar at the Organization’s campus in Upper Michigan. During this period, he began researching and painting oil portraits of famous Christians.

His focus shifted when Margaret was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and he devoted all his time in caring for her. After a very brief stay at an assisted living facility in Illinois, Ben determined nobody could take care of her like he could. They moved to Kingwood, Texas, where he bought a patio home and cared for Margaret until her death on Valentine’s Day 2002.

Following the loss of Margaret, Ben moved to Brandon, Florida where he lived until 2014. Health concerns brought him back to Kingwood. As a man never without a project, and one with a life-long commitment to his faith, he conducted weekly worship services in his independent living community. It was with this community, together with his family, he celebrated his 100 ^th birthday in February 2020.

Ben returned to Tennessee in July 2020, where he lived with his daughter and son-in-law. He went Home to be with the Lord on March 27, 2022, at the age of 102. He was predeceased by his wife Margaret, his sister Margaret Carpenter, and his eldest daughter, Debbra. He is survived by two sisters (Edna Stapella and Susan Fetterman), his children (Jennifer, Jeffrey, Wendy and Brandon), their spouses (Bill, Tim and Sarah), thirteen grandchildren (Margot, Noah, Lindsay, Gretchen, Timothy, Amber, Ben, Brittney, Breanna, Emily, TJ, Jessica and Nanee), nineteen great grandchildren (Elah, Heidi, Lange, Baker & Emme, Nadja, Liesel and Gretel, Rachell, Michael and Brenna, Jazmine, Drake, Avery and Riley, Ethan, Evan, and Kendall, Mason and four great-great grandchildren.