Bill Wood

John W. "Bill" Wood, age 84 of Harrison, Arkansas passed away Sunday, August 9, 2015 at home after a long illness. He was a longtime Harrison businessman, moving here in 1971 to start Bill Wood Chevrolet. In 1984 he added Nissan and changed the name to Wood Motor Company. In 1991, he along with his sons started Wood Development, Inc. a hospitality and real estate development company which owns and operates the Quality Inn, Holiday Inn and Hampton Inn in Harrison along with other commercial real estate ventures. The son of Sam and Ruby (Prewitt) Wood was born on October 11, 1930 in Egypt, Arkansas. He attended Hoxie High School, where he met his wife Margaret and they were married in 1950 in Memphis, Tennessee. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, he started his career in the automobile business at Hull-Dobbs Ford as an oil change technician and worked his way up to the sales floor. In 1957 he opened his own used car dealership which he operated until 1971 when he moved his family to Harrison to open Bill Wood Chevrolet. He is preceded in death by his parents, his wife of 49 years Margaret, his sisters Roberta, Mae and brothers Howard and Jerry. He is survived by his wife Carole Higgason Wood; her children, Amy Murray (Shon) of Harrison and Michael Higgason (Kathy) of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; her grandchildren, Tanner and Easton Taylor of Harrison and Paden Higgason of Memphis, Tennessee; his sons, Steve Wood and Phillip Wood (Sharon) of Harrison; granddaughters, Jessica and her husband Chip Johnson of Dallas, Texas and Lacey Beauchamp of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Pallbearers are Mark Hanshaw, Jim Yates, Wayne Roberts, Jerry Pinson, Steve Pederson, and Tanner Taylor. Honorary Pallbearers are Rhonda Spurlin, Sasha Tew. Lorene Roberts, Dr.John Martinez, Dr. Dwight Zabel and the staff of Harrison Dialysis Clinic and the Branson Dialysis Home Department. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, August 15, 2015 at 1 p.m. at Coffman Funeral Home Chapel in Harrison with Calvin Gambrell officiating. Burial will follow in Maplewood Cemetery. Visitation will be held Friday, August 14 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Coffman Funeral Home in Harrison. Arrangements are by Coffman Funeral Home of Harrison. Memorials may be made to the Hospice of the Hills in Harrison. Online condolences may be left at www.coffmanfh.com.