Olaf Ray Wood passed away on the morning of April 14, 2020, at the Parkview Care Center in Billings, MT, at the age of 81.

He was born on August 4, 1938, in Sheridan, Wyoming to Roy and Blanch Wood, the 2nd of 3 children. As a young man, he enjoyed riding and training horses.

He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as a teen and was active for the rest of his life. He met his sweetheart at a Church dance in Billings, and knew that she was the girl for him. He graduated high school in 1961 and joined the Air Force, went to training and came back and married Leora Ann Schow in Sheridan on Dec 15, 1962. They were sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple a few days later. They had 8 children. Being in the Air Force, he moved a lot with his family. He served in Klamath Falls, OR, Novato, CA, Madrid, Spain, San Antonio, TX, Lubbock, TX, and Indian Springs, NV. He also served in the Viet Nam War . He retired from the Air Force after 20 years and settled in Powell, WY. He worked for Lockheed Aircraft in Saudi Arabia, graduated from Northwest College in welding in 1986, then decided to be a Truck Driver. He made many fun welded things, among which is a flatbed trailer that is still used by the family today.

Ray loved to travel. He enjoyed his truck driving days and seeing the whole of the lower 48 United States and parts of Canada. Even though he was away a lot, he loved his family and always tried to make it home for the holidays and important events in his children’s lives. Ray retired from truck driving in 2003, after a heart attack, and spent many nice times with his wife. His wife died at home in 2007. He lived in Powell until 2014 when he had a stroke, and moved to Billings. He overcame that stroke and had many enjoyable years living at Highgate Senior living and was a favorite among the caretakers there with his fun attitude and teasing ways. He would often visit his children in Idaho, Wyoming, and California. For his 80th birthday, he flew out to Placerville, California for a big celebration with his children.

He is survived by Raelene and Scott Brown, Lovell, WY; Bert and Kristin Wood, Anza, CA; David and Gretta Wood, San Jose, CA; Glen and Heather Wood, Placerville, CA; Alvin and Stacy Wood, Billings, MT; Jared Wood, Cody, WY; Tammy and Brent Timothy, Boise, ID; Alisha and Javier Balderas, Pollock Pines, CA; his sister Ethel Sheets, Cody, WY; and brother McKinley and Cynthia Wood, Gillette, WY; his sister-in-law Diana Miller, Billings, MT; and twenty-eight grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.

Funeral Services are being taken care of by Thompson Funeral Home. Services will be held at Powell Cemetery at 11am on Saturday April 18, 2020.

The Sheridan Press â€" Apr. 16, 2020.