More detail on this person: After a determined
fight against cancer.Bill Wood and I served
together with the 121st AHC (Soc Trang Tigers) in
1968 to 1969 and later meet at Embry-Riddle in
1972 to 1974 time frame. As I recall he was the
Blue Tiger Platoon leader being a Captain with a
few days rank on me. I have been searching for him
on Google and discovered this today. Bill was
very Brave, Smart and Funny. I'm so sorry I didn't
find him in time.
From: Jeffrey A. Neal
William James (Bill) Wood, 59, of Leawood, KS,
passed away Friday, July 21, after a determined
fight against cancer. The family will hold a
memorial service at 10:30 am on August 5, at John
Knox Presbyterian Kirk, 11430 Wornall Rd. in
Kansas City, MO, after which Bill's ashes will be
scattered near Sedona, AZ. Memorial contributions
should be sent to Kansas City Hospice
(www.kansascityhospice.org) and the Lance
Armstrong Live Strong Foundation.
Bold, dynamic, complicated, inspirational and
wonderfully human, Bill was that rare person who
constantly challenged himself and those around him
to keep growing and learning. A born leader who
spent his career in aviation, he earned a
double-major college degree in business and
aeronautics at Embry-Riddle University and was
commissioned as a helicopter pilot by the U.S.
Army. He served in the Vietnam War, where he was
decorated for heroism and outstanding combat
piloting skills and rose to the rank of captain.
After being honorably discharged, Bill co-founded
the 12,000-member Vietnam Helicopter Pilots
Association, and he achieved fame in his civil
career as a test pilot for RCA Corporation when he
and a colleague successfully flew their aircraft
through the path of a tornado-spawning
thunderstorm in the late 1970s.
While his family was his top priority, he remained
devoted to the aviation industry throughout his
career, serving as a sales and marketing executive
with such companies as Sperry Corporation and
AlliedSignal. He found his "dream job" with Sandel
Avionics of Vista, CA, where he was Vice President
of Sales and Marketing, helping that firm grow by
1000% in his first two years of service while
building it into a rising star in the industry. He
was also active in the National Business Aviation
Association.
In addition to his many professional colleagues
and friends, Bill leaves behind his wife, Annie
Brossard of Leawood; daughter Lisa Giuliani of
Raleigh, NC, her husband Jeff and their sons Jason
and Ryan; Celine Coppaken of Overland Park, her
husband Todd and their daughter Maya; daughter
Mimi Eaton of Scottsdale, AZ; mother Mary Wood
of Eddystone, PA; father- and mother-in-law Dr.
Jacques and Peggy Bros sard of La Baule, France;
and siblings Nancy Windisch, Beth Macaroni,
Ricky Wood and Jimmy Wood. He was preceded in
death by his father James Wood and brother
Tommy.
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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