Willard Gray Hood (“Bill”), 89, of Gulf Breeze, Florida, passed away Tuesday, December 12, 2023. Visitation and viewing will be at noon on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, with the funeral service at 1:00 pm, at Spring Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Montevallo, Alabama. Burial will follow at Spring Creek Church Cemetery. Pastors Chuck Hood and Scott Fowler will officiate.
Bill was a respected businessman and family man who valued hard work and integrity. He came from a humble background, working his way up to eventually owning his own business. He also was in the Army Reserves and retired as a full Colonel. He built several houses, doing most of the work himself, and fed his young family with vegetables grown in his own garden. He loved to fish and hunt, not only for enjoyment but to put meat on his family’s table.
When his beloved wife of 58 years, Anne, developed Alzheimer’s, he tenderly cared for her at home for ten years until she passed away in 2018.
A man who liked to always stay busy, he kept bees and sold honey for many years, also constructing wooden beehives and birdhouses for sale. In his waning years, he moved to Gulf Breeze to be near his daughter Mary Anne, and liked to watch the birds visit the feeder from his bedroom window, fish off the dock, and attend Sunday services at the Community Life Church. He also enjoyed riding and viewing the neighborhood from his Harley scooter.
He is survived by his brother Elson and his sister Grace (Barbara) Hanson; his children Becky Rios (Norman), Betsy Wood, Chuck Hood (Julie), and Mary Anne Aanestad (Jeff); and his 20 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.
The family would like to sincerely thank the staff at the Beehive Assisted Living Facility for their kind and diligent care of our father.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Casa Aleluya in Guatemala, an orphanage dear to Bill and Anne’s heart. https://www.casaaleluya.org/
