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Shortly after the 1930 Census, George Hollis went to Englewood, Colorado to attend the wedding of his future brother-in-law, Willis Coston, who was about to wed his sister Mary Lorena Wood. The Depression was in full swing, and shortly after the wedding, the newlyweds traveled to Aspen, Colorado as there were no jobs in the Denver area, and Aspen had previously boomed as a mining town. George Hollis followed his friend and new brother-in-law to Aspen where he would soon meet his own bride, Edna Ives.
George Hollis Wood met Edna Henrietta Ives, and was shortly married thereafter in 1932. George Hollis and Edna Henrietta went on to have four children. My father, Ellsworth Dean Wood; born June 11th 1933, was the first, followed by Donald Neal Wood, and Dale Henry Wood. The couple's fourth child, Diane Wood was born later in Englewood after the family moved from Aspen, CO around 1944.
Ellsworth Dean Wood, being born in Aspen, was introduced to some wild west antics upon his birth. It seems that George Hollis went to the local Doctor for help when Edna was in immediate labor. With delivery expected at any time, George Hollis was frantic. Because funds were short at the peak of the depression, the Doctor refused to aid the couple. Depending on the story and lore described through the years, shots were fired at one or both of the parties, as well as the offending practitioner being dragged by the collar, and forced into attending the on-coming birth. The Wood families remaining years in Aspen are depicted in the photo on the Home Page of this website.
Approximately 1941, George and Edna moved the family back to Englewood, where the boys grew into men, and raised children of their own. Edna passed into God's arms on December 12th, 1962. George Hollis Wood followed in death on October 26th 1986.
Ellsworth Dean Wood grew into manhood, and enlisted in the Air National Guard at 17 years of age in 1950. Ellsworth Dean, who referred to himself as "Dean" changed his enlistment to full time United States Air Force in 1951, where he was provided Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio Texas, Saint Joseph MO, and at Hulbert AFB, Pensacola Florida before being permanently stationed at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis New Mexico. Dean was trained and worked as a P-51 Mustang - Aircraft Maintenance Specialist. It was at Cannon, where Dean met his bride, my mother Betty Ruth Luckett (Wood) who married Dean on October 12th, 1952. Betty Ruth was the daughter of Howard Lacy and Nina L. Luckett of Clovis. The couple had three children, Debra Gail; born January 1954, Susan Anne; born August 1956, and Myself, Michael Dean Wood; born December 1960.
While I had many rewarding times with many of the family members mentioned here, it was my Dad and Mother who meant the most to me in my life. It was them who were there at the death of my first born son Joshua Michael Wood. It was them who assisted me when my previous marriage dissolved.
And it was them, who taught me valuable lessons even to this day, and supported me through the ups and downs of life.
I was born in Denver, raised in Englewood, and was sworn into service as a police officer in the City of Littleton on January 4th, 1982. Through 18 years of service, I survived three police chiefs, and was awarded police officer of the year twice. I had many citations for actions above and beyond the call of duty. I was an active member of the police SWAT Team, and was a Hostage Negotiator, trained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Negotiations Techniques. On a warm day in April, 1999 I responded to a call at Columbine High School with other officers on a school shooting rampage. The rest is history, but this event led to a chain of events which led to my early ouster from the police brotherhood.
I am now a Corporate Trainer in Wireless Telecom and Data Communications, and travel the U.S. enjoying my other hobby. (See my other interests!)
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