Roll Call Tribute

Joel Don "Rusty" Wood 

July 26, 1948 - May 26, 2024 

Joel Don "Rusty" Wood passed away on Sunday, May 26, 2024, at age 75. Born on July 26, 1948, he grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, and attended Texas A&M University for three years before joining the Marines during the Vietnam War. After his military service, he worked various jobs including a position with the Fort Worth Zoo where he met fellow zookeeper and future wife, Rogann.

Rusty was preceded in death by his father Don L. Wood, mother Mary Jo Jones Wood, sister Susan Wood Rummel and her husband John Rummel, Uncle Louis "Sonny", Aunts Peggy, Barbara “Bobby”, and Joyce, all of the Jones family, as well as friends Mark “Chatty” Johnson, and George Nethercutt.

He is survived by his wife Rogann, daughter Amelia and son Mitchell, sister Dee Ann and her husband Paul Warwick, cousins Laurie Ramey and Mary Kathleen Lasater, niece Jennifer “Jif” McKee, nephews Robert “Rob” Stafford and Jayson Blackwell, as well as many other nieces and nephews, and friends Steven McGee, Cindy “Maple” Johnson, Karen “KW” Egan, and Francis Whatley.

His family would like to extend their gratitude to caretakers Beatriz and Yesenia, for their caring, love, tenderness, and compassion for Rusty during his long hospice bed-bound life at home of over a year.

Rusty gave his family a multitude of wonderful and various memories. His laughter and humor are missed by all, as well as his love of animals, plants, and traveling to many areas of the U.S. and Mexico, especially in the state of Oaxaca.

In lieu of flowers, the Wood family asks to please consider donating to your local animal charity or shelter, or to plant a tree.