Neva Joyce Wood

Neva Wood ObituaryVisit the Darling & Fischer Campbell Memorial Chapel - Campbell website to view the full obituary.Neva Joyce Hickson was born on February 6, 1938, in Lexington, Oklahoma, the fourth child of Aaron and Alice Hickson, joining older siblings Barbara, Buddy, and Alta Fern at their farm home. She was cherished by her family until the arrival of her youngest sister, Dolores, nearly five years later.Neva often spoke fondly of her childhood on the farm, surrounded by family and friends. It wasn't until she started high school "in town" that she realized her family was poor, admitting she was embarrassed to trade her fresh smoked ham and biscuit sandwiches for the tuna fish and Wonder bread her city classmates ate. At age 16, Neva was crowned the area's rodeo queen. That same summer, a visit to Los Angeles, California to see her aunt, who worked at Paramount Lot, allowed her to visit the studio and dine at the famed Brown Derby-memories she treasured. She often dreamed of traveling the world, imagining the family's farm trough as her boat; a dream she would later fulfill.Just five days after graduating high school, Neva married Sam Wood. They moved to Texas where Sam worked with his brother Ray in the oil fields. Their first son, David Mark, was born in July 1956 but did not survive. Their son Greg was born in Odessa, Texas, in September 1957. The constant moves and the dangers of the oil rigging industry led them to relocate to Ada, Oklahoma. There, Sam joined the staff of the Ada newspaper, and Neva worked first in a dental office and then for the grocery chain, Piggly Wiggly. Their daughter, Shelly, was born in Ada four years later.In 1967, a tragedy prompted another move. After Sam's brother Weldon was killed in a car accident while returning for a family reunion, Sam and Neva moved to Campbell, California, to support Weldon's wife, Alice, and their children, Jan, Bruce, and Tim. The two families became inseparable, sharing meals, holidays, and childcare responsibilities. Neva took a part-time job at Food Villa, where she remained employed for 24 years.Neva was an active member of her church and loved hosting Sunday and holiday dinners for family and friends. She was deeply loved by her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and her nieces and nephews, all of whom she considered her immediate family.Neva was preceded in death by her husband, Sam, in January; her parents; her brother, Buddy; her sister, Alta Fern; and her infant son, David Mark. She was also preceded by her beloved niece, Jan, and nephew, Tim.She is survived by her oldest sister, Barbara Thompson, and her youngest sister, Dolores Wright; her children, Greg (Sandy) Wood and Shelly (Joe) Viramontez; and hergrandchildren, Megan (Jason) Noriega, Katie (Chris) Reneau, and Jake (Jackie) Viramontez and Jordan Wood. She is also survived by Tim's wife Pam, and nephew Bruce (Mae) Wood, and her beloved sister-in-law, Alice. Her surviving extended family includes those she considered her grandchildren: Alison (Mike) Race, Eric (Megan) Wood, Keri (Jason) Jacobi, and Brian (Katie) Wood, as well as many cherished nieces, nephews, and friends who were considered family.Read The Full ObituaryTo plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.