Mr. Donald Lee Wood, age 75, of Winnsboro, S.C. died Monday, June 15th, surrounded by family, from complications of Parkinson’s Disease.
Born on July 22, 1950 in Chesnee, S.C. to Raymond T. Wood and Faye (Harris) Wood, Donald’s life was defined by his intellectual curiosity, his stewardship of plants and animals, his deep commitment to fairness, his sly sense of humor, and his love and care for his family.
Donald was preceded in death by his mother and father; his sister, Martha (Wood) Haynes, and brother-in-law, Aubrey; sister, Linda (Wood) Kinley, and brother-in-law, Harold; and daughter, Jasmine Able.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Janis Wood; his daughters, Barbara (Michael) Ellis, Whitney Able, & Katara Wood; his sister, Betty Wood; his grandchildren, Karmen Davis, Natalee Davis, Josiah Ellis, Malina Ellis, & Preston Ellis; mother-in-law, Barbara Reid; and numerous nieces and nephews.
As a young man, Donald worked at Winn Dixie while attending Winnsboro High School, which gave him an early eye for the comings and goings of the town that would serve him well in his later role as Town Manager of Winnsboro. After graduation, he attended Richland Technical Educational Center before honorably serving four years in the United States Air Force. After his discharge, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Parks and Recreation Tourism Management from Clemson University.
In 1978, he became a park ranger at Edisto Beach State Park where he cultivated his lifelong love for stewarding nature and animals. He later returned to Columbia and worked as a business manager at the YMCA for twenty years before moving home to Winnsboro where he worked for the town, first as the Financial Manager before serving as the Town Manager for more than 20 years, until his retirement in 2020. Donald took great pride in his fairness to all people of Winnsboro while fulfilling his roles in town administration. He would not tolerate injustice and wanted every resident to have equal access to services. Just as he had been a faithful steward of natural resources, it was important to him to be a faithful steward of the town’s resources.
Donald cared for dozens of dogs and cats throughout his life and was happiest with an animal close at hand to pet. He was the first to acknowledge that animals came easier to him than people, and he brought a gentleness to his care for them that sometimes surprised people who only knew his gruff exterior.
A natural green thumb, he cultivated gardens so abundant his family couldn’t eat or give away the food fast enough. His niece and nephews remember slow walks around the family land where he gave the Latin names for flowers and trees and helped keep them safe from poison ivy and snakes. A lifelong collector of knowledge, he loved to share special books with his family and even after Parkinson’s made it hard for him to read, he took comfort in being surrounded by his collection of books.
Although Donald had a full and fulfilling life as a bachelor, enjoying gardening, reading, tinkering, and cooking, he happily met and married the love of his life, Janis, in 2005, and quickly became a full-time family man and father. He was proud to provide for “his girls” and enjoyed giving them anything he possibly could. He learned a lot from becoming a later-in-life husband and father and brought his trickster spirit to the role. He enjoyed the girls’ humor and creativity and it made him proud to see them employ the skills he helped them learn. One of his greatest sadnesses about his disease was knowing he would not be around to see his youngest, Katara, grow up.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 20th at 1pm at Nelson Funeral Home: 270 N Dogwood Ave, Ridgeway, SC 29130. Internment to follow.
Because Donald loved flowers, they are appreciated, and may be sent to the address above, but donations may also be made to The Fairfield County Animal Shelter in memory of all the cats and dogs that preceded him into the next life: 1678 Hwy 321 Business North P.O. Box 60 Winnsboro, SC 29180 https://www.fairfieldsc.com/departments/animal-shelter