Family History-Joe Leslie Wood, Part II

And now for the rest of the story...
Several months after I was born, Joe finally entered the United States Army and went to basic training at Fort Carson here in Colorado Springs. As anyone who has gone through basic training can tell you, it was tough. One day while standing in formation, a plane flew over and Joe looked up. His training officer caught him looking at the plane and said, "If you like looking at planes so much, lie down on the ground and watch them as long as you want!" He then proceeded to make Joe lie down and watch the sky for hours. It was cold and it started snowing, but still Joe couldn't get up and go inside. Eventually he was allowed to go inside, but ended up with a case of pneumonia from the episode.

I'm not sure if Joe went directly to Germany after basic training, but I do know it wasn't long after. He was stationed in West Germany for several years. In the meantime, Daddy finally became disgusted with farming and we moved from our farm in Eastern New Mexico to live in Lubbock, Texas. (While in New Mexico Daddy's crop was hailed out many times and that will kill the spirit of any farmer eventually.) After we moved to Lubbock, Daddy and Mother eventually both found jobs; Daddy with the Texas State Highway Department and Mother with Gibson's Discount Store as a clerk. Judy started attending Lubbock High School and I went to daycare.

I had my third birthday and it seems like that was when my brain started recording memories. I remember all kinds of things starting around then. One of my most clear and poignant memories was when Joe came home from Germany. Everyone kept talking about Joe coming home and preparing things. I had heard Joe's name a lot and knew he was my brother, but had no memory of him. Joe decided to surprise us with his actual arrival and gave no details of when he would arrive home. I remember Daddy was sitting on the front porch steps, smoking a cigarette and the rest of us were inside the house. A taxi drove up and there was Joe, grinning from ear to ear because he had successfully surprised everyone! After greeting and talking with Daddy for a little bit outside, he came inside and I was scared to death of him! He was this big, tall stranger with bright blue eyes and a booming voice in a military uniform and coming straight at me. He picked me up and I started crying. He began to win me over almost immediately though. He was so nice and kept saying, "Don't you remember me baby sister? I'm your big brother, Joe!" I was completely won over a few minutes later when he told me he brought me a present from Germany and proceeded to dig a handful of German coins from his duffel bag, just for me! He even got down on the floor with me to show me the coins and play with me a bit. From then on and forever, I loved Joe to pieces and we were bonded as sisters and brothers are supposed to be. (For the record, he called me "baby sister" for the rest of his days. In my teens when he would drop by the hospital where I worked and boom out, "I came by to check on my baby sister!" I'd be outwardly mortified, but inwardly delighted.)

When Joe came home from Germany

Joe was stationed primarily at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas after his return from Germany. When he had leave, he would come home to Lubbock to visit. On one of those visits, he met and started dating a beautiful girl named Evelyn Sheumaker. When I first saw Evelyn, I was enchanted. She had dark hair, sparkly green eyes and a smile and joy about her that just glowed. She was always so sweet to me, picking me up, holding me on her lap. She even gave me a Santa Claus she had for a decoration in her little apartment. I wanted Joe to marry Evelyn so she could be in our family forever. Apparently Joe was just as enchanted by Evelyn as I was because he married her!

Joe & Evelyn Wood, Wedding Day
September 7, 1965

In 1966, Joe received new orders and was assigned to Vietnam. I think Daddy's reaction, when he heard this, was, "Oh hell!"  By this time Mother and Daddy had bought the house on 36th and Salem in Lubbock. Evelyn found a duplex to rent exactly one block away. The visits between those duplexes were a sustaining force for all of us while Joe was in Vietnam. She would come down to visit and there would be evenings of playing Spades and laughter. Judy and I would often go down to her duplex and spend a girls' night with her. I adored those nights. I got to be "one of the big girls!" Evelyn was pregnant and on April 28, 1967, Robin Renee Wood was born. To say I was excited is a vast understatement. I had other nieces and nephews (LeAnne, Sally, George, Curtis and Deanna), but I had not met any of those kids yet and had not quite grasped the concept of being an aunt until Robin was born. I was just a little kid and being an aunt to other little kids was confusing. When Robin was born, however, I was the big kid and Robin was a baby. I loved being an aunt then!

While we were at home delighting in the new baby, Joe was in the jungles of Vietnam. He was in the armored tank division and, although I know few details of his time there, I do know they were hellish. Daddy and I would watch Walter Cronkite every night to hear the news about Vietnam. Daddy knew Joe's division information and would watch intently to see if his boy was in danger or amongst the list of the missing or the dead. It was a very stressful time for us, but nothing compared to what Joe went through, of course.

Joe in Vietnam

When Joe came home, he was different. He was still Joe, loud and lively when with family, but there was a certain heaviness in him that hadn't been there before. He drank often in an effort to release that heaviness. It couldn't be washed away. He had seen too much and lived through too much, all before he was 30. Nonetheless, he carried on and was happy with his young family that was growing. On December 5, 1968, Leslie Jean Wood, his second daughter was born. On February 9, 1970 Jesse Joe Wood was born and on November 28, 1974, his last child was born, Jason Dean Wood.

Joe, Curtis, Ray & John Wood
Christmas 1970 (Cowboys & Popguns)

During the years following his time in Vietnam, Joe worked as a police officer for the City of Lubbock and then as a sheriff's deputy for Lubbock County, working his way up to Chief Deputy. In his official "off" hours he also worked with Uncle Dolf (Dolf Dean Qualls) on his farm, earning extra money along the way. Amidst all that he took courses at Wayland Baptist College and earned a Bachelor's Degree in English. Eventually he and Evelyn and family moved out in the country when Joe took a job as Chief Deputy of Hockley County. Tiring of law enforcement and by mutual agreement, he left it and became a car salesman with great success.

I could tell a hundred stories from my memory bank about Joe. I will settle for two that are very personal and important to me. Craig and I had been married for 3 years and had a new baby, Nathanael. Times were tough for us and we moved in with Mother and Daddy for a brief time. Daddy and Craig ended up having a pretty serious disagreement that could have come to serious blows but for the fact that Craig refused to retaliate. I was completely torn apart when Craig called me at work. We had to move out and we had to do it immediately. Craig picked me up from work and I was pretty much inconsolable. How could this happen, for heaven's sake? As we drove up to the house, Joe walked out and I've never been so happy to see anyone in my life! He had come to help us pack and move our things and to ease the way. I never will forget Joe pulling me close into his arms and saying, "Now baby sister, do not let this upset you too bad or make you think too hard of Daddy. This has happened with both of us boys and is nothing that can't be healed. Daddy loves you and is too protective, but it'll be ok. I'm here for you. If you need anything, I'm here for you. You know that, right, baby sister? I love you!"  Joe helped us move things out, kept the peace, and...he was right. The situation did heal and was forgotten. I've never forgotten, however, how my big brother was with me when I needed him the most.

Craig got hired by the post office in September, 1986 and we moved to Memphis, Texas. It was a wonderful time in my life that I'll always cherish. I got to stay home with my babies, Nat, age 2, and Josh, age 1. The town was friendly and our life there was good. I missed my family back in Lubbock so we all wrote letters back and forth. We were only about 120 miles from Lubbock, but before cell phones or email, it seemed like we were a great distance away. In the months prior to our move to Memphis, Mother had experienced a major heart attack followed by open heart surgery. Then we lost our dear brother, John, on August 24th. Life was a roller coaster and I desperately desired to stay in touch with my family and let them know how much I loved them all.

On Veteran's Day that year, November 11th, they had a show on television about a Vietnam veteran who was suffering the effects of Agent Orange. I think John Ritter played the soldier. It brought to life to me all that Joe had gone through during the war and all the intervening years since. He was still fighting the heaviness and still trying to drink it away, but still working, living, and enjoying life as well. He had recently had several skin cancers removed that were thought to be linked to his own Agent Orange exposure. Somehow the television program made it absolutely crucial to me to write Joe a letter to tell him how much I loved him, how proud I was that he was my brother, and how I prayed for him all the time. I wanted to see him, touch him and somehow make sure he was all right.

Joe didn't write me a letter back, but instead called me in response. He told me how much he loved me too and how much he wanted to see us soon. He and Evelyn asked Craig and I and the whole family to his house for Thanksgiving. I was thrilled! To get to be with the whole family at Joe's for Thanksgiving would be heaven. However, about a week later I had a terrible dream that was so real, I awoke crying. I dreamed that Joe was in a car wreck and was killed. I couldn't quit sobbing after I awoke. I had only experienced one other Irish dream before then and it came true so I was very afraid of this dream.

When Craig and I went to Lubbock, Sally and Betty had come for Thanksgiving too. It was going to be a grand celebration! Joe came by Mother and Daddy's and then asked if Sally and I wanted to come out that night (Wednesday) to spend the night and visit. I hated to leave the boys and Craig, but I was eager to spend time with Joe and his family so I went. On the way out of town Joe told us he'd been in a car accident over by Brownfield Highway and Spur 327. It had been pretty serious, but Joe wasn't hurt badly and I was greatly relieved! That's what that dream had been about! We had a fun time that night with Joe, Evelyn and the kids and the next day everyone else came for Thanksgiving.

Joe and I didn't have a lot of time to visit by ourselves, but it was fine. As the old saying goes, a good time was had by all!  My heart was full of love and joy. Somehow when it came time to leave, I could hardly bear to do it. I was crying, but trying to hide it. Joe came over to take me in his arms once again, like he'd done ever since I was a baby and was crying. He said, "Baby sister, don't cry! We'll see each other again before you know it! We might even come up to Memphis to see y'all sometime. You'll never know how much I appreciated your letter or the other letters you've written me over the years. I've always known you loved me and you know I love you! You're my baby sister!" I was consoled somewhat as we backed out of the drive and tried to avoid running over his bird dogs that followed us all the way down the road.

On Christmas Eve, Jody, Craig's mom, and her sister Dorothy and Dorothy's husband L.C. came to Memphis for Christmas. It would be the first Christmas the boys were old enough to enjoy Christmas plus Craig and I had just bought an old Victorian house with lots of room. We were all quite excited and full of the Christmas spirit. I made homemade cheese soup for supper. It was so lovely and cozy, but I felt a pall in the middle of the evening and could not shake it. I became quite sick and was sick all night long.

At 7:15 on Christmas morning Daddy called and asked to speak to Craig. I was speechless. Christmas morning and no Christmas wish? Simply a request to speak to Craig? "Daddy, what's wrong? You can tell me. You don't have to tell Craig. I know something's wrong! What is it?"  "Elaine, I'd rather talk to Craig, but...gosh, you're stubborn! Ok. Are you sitting down? Joe was in a terrible car accident last night." "Is he ok? Was he hurt badly? IS HE OK?" "No, Little Bit, he's not. He didn't make it. He's gone." My heart stuttered and stopped, shredded in an instant, then began beating again in a frantic rush. I fell to the bed I was sitting on and started wailing. Craig picked up the phone. I had always thought wailing an old-fashioned Jewish tradition, but that morning I experienced it for myself. It expresses pain that is too much to bear or even acknowledge. When the mind can't fathom a truth of pain, the spirit takes over and wails to God. My Joe was gone, never to come back. Our Joe was gone. Never to return.

He isn't gone, though, really, is he? He lives on in our hearts and memories. He lives on in his children and his grandchildren and now great-grandchildren. His blue eyes twinkle at me from so many of his continuing family. His laughter rings in our hearts. And, as he said to me that Thanksgiving evening, "We'll see other soon before you know it!" I know that is true.

Joe, John, Betty, Judy & Elaine Wood
The only time all five of us were together.
Mother & Daddy's 50th Anniversary, June 6, 1984