Dennis A. Wood

Dennis Arthur Wood, 67, of Salem, Oregon passed away on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 in Salem. Dennis was born August 23, 1955 in Fallon, Nevada to Lois and Leo Wood – the second of 3 children. Dennis lived in many places including Fallon and Las Vegas, Nevada, Wenatchee and Spokane, Washington, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, and Corvallis, Keizer and Salem, Oregon. In 2016 Dennis met his love, Kathryn Kiracofe and they were married June 23, 2018. Dennis and Kathy had 4 grown children between them and 7 grandchildren. Dennis was a dedicated and loving husband, father and grandfather. He loved his family and friends immensely – his family was the center and joy of his life. Dennis was a gentle and kind man. Dennis had several jobs he loved including working for the railroad. After being laid off, Dennis pursued a career in Funeral Services and started this career in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1990 Dennis moved back to Oregon and completed an Associate’s Degree in Funeral Science and worked as a Funeral Director in Oregon for over 27 years. He spent most of those years working at Mt Scott Funeral Home in Portland retiring in June 2022. After his retirement, Dennis was currently in training to be a bus driver for the Salem-Keizer School District – a new chapter he was looking forward to. Dennis loved sports and was an avid Oregon State Beavers, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Mariners and Tottenham Hotspurs fan. Dennis and his wife loved to travel. They spent time in Europe, Russia and Scandinavia several years ago and drove through Canada to Alaska with his wife and father in-law in 2018. Dennis and Kathy took many road trips and spent as much time as possible at the Oregon Coast, with Yachats being one of his favorite places. Dennis had a knack for finding whales at the coast. Dennis and Kathy loved spending time with family and extended family. Holidays were always a celebration of family and friends. He made as much time as possible for the grandkids being a wonderful “Papa”. Dennis was an avid reader and loved to go bird watching with Kathy. Dennis is survived by his wife, Kathy; his two sons, Chris (Erica) Wood and Devin Wood; his stepchildren, Matthew (Kristen) Collins, Christine Collins; his 7 grandchildren; his brothers, Doug (Nicky) Wood, Devon (Janice) Wood; his sister in-law Laura Kiracofe; his cousin Becky (Albert) Hernandez; his mother and father in-law Monte and Susan Kiracofe; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents. A memorial service will be held 11:00 AM, Wednesday, January 11, 2023 at Family Life Church, located at 1675 NW Wallace Road Salem, OR 97304. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Special Olympics of Oregon.