Jerry Arthur Wood lived a distinguished and impressive life and died at home on August 30th, 2026. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, October 3rd, at the Jerry Wood Court at Deer Park High School at 11:30. The family will receive guests from 10:00 until the time of the service at 11:30. There will be a catered lunch served after the service, also at school.

Jerry was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Arthur and Elizabeth Wood, but moved to Loveland, Ohio, when he was a very young child. His parents and his brother, Jack, lived the country life, and Jerry grew up fishing, hunting, helping do building projects, and working on local farms. He was also an athlete beginning in grade school with basketball, baseball, and adding football when he got to high school. He graduated from Loveland High School in 1951 as a letterman in basketball and football.

He attended Ohio University for one year but transferred to Wilmington College so he could play both basketball and football. Jerry graduated with a degree in education in 1955. He earned a Masters in Education from Xavier University in 1971.

Jerry served in the Army from July 1956 to July 1958. After enlistment, he was immediately recognized as an elite soldier and was assigned to the Presidential Color Guard, where he carried the Army Colors. He transferred to the Old Guard and became a Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where he served with distinction. He was recognized as soldier of the year for the District of Columbia in 1957. He met his wife, Virginia (Ginny), while he was stationed in Washington, DC, and they enjoyed a loving 46 year marriage until her passing in 2003.

After his honorable discharge, he secured his first teaching and coaching job at Norwalk High School in Norwalk, Ohio, where both of his daughters were born. He moved back to Loveland in 1960 to take a teaching and coaching job at Deer Park High School, where he was a varsity basketball coach and assistant football and baseball coach. He helped the teams achieve multiple League Championships. He took a short break from teaching in 1969, but as a lifelong educator and coach, he couldn't stay away and began his next position at Mariemont High School, where he worked from 1971 to 1981.

Jerry finished his teaching career at Clermont Northeastern Schools, where he taught from 1984 to 1992, and was so beloved he was asked to be the commencement speaker his last year. His teaching career ended after 32 years, during which time he helped hundreds of students secure academic and sports scholarships and mentored many.

Jerry was a lifelong golfer with a single digit handicap and scored a hole-in-one on three different occasions. He and his wife Ginny traveled to play golf in 38 different states and several Canadian provinces. They were active with a group that played regularly and socialized together as lifelong friends.

Jerry discovered love a second time when he united with Nancy Nash after Ginny's death. They shared 17 years together along with her family, including Nancy's daughter Amy, her children Allie, Megan, and Mitch and also Nancy's son, Jay. They enjoyed many local trips exploring the Tri-State area until her passing in 2020.

Jerry leaves a legacy of a loving family that includes daughters Kimberly Clement (Glenn) and Vickie Wallen (Timothy); grandsons Justin, Ryan, Branden, and Kevin Wallen, Seth and Sam Clement; great grand-daughters Athena and Aurora Clement, Sakura, Kyoko and Paisley Wallen.

Memorial donations in in Jerry's name may be made to:

Deer Park High School Athletic Boosters
8351 Plainfield Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45236
Attn: Greg Huster, AD

Mariemont High School Athletics
1 Warrior Way, Cincinnati, OH 45227
Atth: Tom Neri, AD

Clermont Northeastern High School Athletics
5327 Hutchinson Rd., Batavia, OH, 45103