Edwin A. "Eddie" Wood

Eddie Wood of Wynnewood, Oklahoma was born to Enoch Alfred and Grace Ellen Wood in Tucumcari, New Mexico on October 15, 1922 and entered eternal life in Norman, OK on December 25, 2008 at the age of 86 years. Eddie spent a great deal of time on the family ranch located about 15 miles south of Tucumcari, near a town called Quay. The ranch was owned by his uncle who willed it to Eddie’s father who in turn left it to Eddie. It was a really nice place right up against the caprock. Eddie operated a service station on the highway south of Tucumcari for a while and ran a band of brood mares on the ranch. He later sold the New Mexico properties and moved his horse operation to Amarillo, Texas. Eddie had attended auctioneering school at Western College of Auctioneering in Billings, Montana in 1958. He auctioned five cattle sales weekly in Amarillo and the panhandle towns of Tulia and Floydada. He gained valuable experience in his chosen skill while selling the weekly sales in the panhandle. It was in 1964 that he auctioned his first Texas longhorn. When the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America was formed in 1964, Eddie became Charter Member 110. In 1991 TLBAA recognized his enduring support by awarding him the Elmer Parker Award given to individuals who had devoted their lifetime to the preservation and promotion of the breed. Eddie sold the Ada, Oklahoma Regional Horse Sales for 20 years, the Clovis, New Mexico Regional Horse Sales for 20 years, and the Roswell, New Mexico Horse Sales for 15 years in addition to many others. When the Appaloosa Horse registry was formed, Eddie was one of the early members and served two terms on the ApHC board of directors. In the last half of the twentieth century he was the dominant auctioneer of the top tier of Appaloosa Horse sales. It was during one of these trips to Moscow, Idaho for an Appaloosa Horse Club board of directors meeting that he met Joyce. She owned a travel agency in Moscow and had a contract with the ApHC to handle their travel arrangements. They were married on July 25, 1982 in Moscow. Joyce was an Oklahoma native and raised on the family ranch near Guthrie, so it was nice for the couple to move back to Oklahoma. It had been through Eddie’s connection with Appaloosa horses that he moved to Oklahoma. Elvin Blevins, a good friend, insisted that he move to the area in Garvin County. Years earlier Eddie was running a service station in Wichita Falls, Texas for Standard Oil Company. One of his mares bred to an Appaloosa stallion was at a friend’s place ,and he called Eddie one morning and said that the mare had given birth to a big foal born on his pay day, and that is how the Pay Day Ranch name originated. Eddie and Joyce’s ranch in Garvin County is the Pay Day Ranch. Plaques, certificates, and other recognitions adorn the den walls at Pay Day Ranch, all tokens of the esteem conferred to Eddie and Joyce for the tremendous contributions they have made to a wide range of organizations. The TLBAA has also nominated him for inclusion in the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. A large framed certificate from the Former Texas Rangers Museum commands a prominent spot in the collection, given in appreciation of a fund-raising auction at which Eddie officiated. There was a special day in 2000 when the Mayor of Houston declared February 26 “Colonel Eddie Wood Day” and then-Governor George W. Bush signed a proclamation naming Eddie an Honorary Texan. The history enshrined on the walls reflects Texas Longhorn history entwined with the life work of Eddie Wood. Eddie was a collector of Western Memorabilia, including McChesney spurs for many years. In addition to his principle vocation as livestock auctioneer, Eddie served as an announcer at rodeos and horse shows, as master of ceremonies at award banquets, and volunteer auctioneer at many benefit auctions for such diverse groups as the TLBBA, the TLBT youth, the National Football League and the National Ranching Heritage Center. During the nation’s Sesquicentennial Celebration, Eddie was the Master of Ceremonies for the Oklahoma delegation at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Eddie was a member of the Masonic Lodge, Eastern Star and India Shrine and had received the 50 year Mason Service Award. Eddie is survived by: Wife – Joyce Wood of the home 2 Daughters – Linda Jean Bird of Clearwater, Kansas Bobbi Jan Smith of St. Maries, Idaho 6 Grandchildren Eddie is preceded in death by his parents, Enoch Alfred and Grace Ellen Wood; his brother, Richard Dale Wood; and his sister, Glee Broome. Funeral services for Edwin A. “Eddie” Wood are scheduled for Wednesday, December 31, 2008 at l:00 p.m. in the Wooster Funeral Home Chapel in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma with the Rev. Clay Shannon officiating. Interment will be at the Pay Day Ranch. Services are under the direction of Wooster Funeral Home.

Edwin A. "Eddie" Wood

October 15, 1922 - December 25, 2008