Betty Lou Wood's Obituary
Betty Wood, age 85 of Sterling Heights, Michigan and formerly of Hazel Park, Michigan passed away on January 13, 2023 at Pomeroy Skilled Nursing. She was born on August 24, 1938 in White Pine Tennessee to Elbert and Ruby Walker.
Predeceased by her beloved husband of 69 years, Melvin “Sonny” Wood. Mother of Johnnie Wood, Donald (Karen) Wood, Debra Wood (James Russell), and Robert (Cheryl) Wood. Grandmother of Melissa Wood, Kimberly (Dave) Juhassz, Brian (Stephanie) Wood, Donald (Elizabeth) Wood, Shannon Smits, Traci (Aaron) Salo, Garrett Smits, Destinee (Scott) Doutry and Ethan (Stephanie) Wood. Great-Grandmother of 14.
Betty was just 15 years old when she met Sonny, a short time after moving north to Detroit. After a year of dating they wed, she 16 and he 21. By the time she was 23 she was the mother of 4. She devoted her life to caring for her children, her parents and her husband.
Like her husband, she loved cars and music. And like her husband, never kept a car too long, trading it in for a newer model. While Sonny was a lover of the blues, Betty was fond of classic rock, particularly Bob Seger.
She was a sports fan, from spending summers cheering on her boys playing baseball, to watching the Detroit Tigers and Lions and Nascar on TV. Betty loved to play games with her children, Badminton, Croquet and Scrabble, to name a few. Later in life she played endless games of Yahtzee with her mother. One of her favorite games was Bingo. She made new friends at American House, all the while winning game after game. She and Sonny enjoyed going Downtown for lunch and an afternoon playing the slots. Win or lose, she always enjoyed it, most likely because of who she was with, Sonny, the love of her life.
Betty’s selflessness, fun loving nature, sense of humor and laughter will be greatly missed by her loving family and friends.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, January 17 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm with the Funeral Service at 6:00 pm at Hopcroft Funeral Home, 31145 John R. Road, (1 block N. of 13 Mile Road, west side of John R. Road), Madison Heights, Michigan. Burial will be at Oakview Cemetery, Royal Oak, Michigan.
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