Todd Wood

Todd "Gus1" Wood, 54, Virginia, formerly of Cook, passed away unexpectedly of natural causes on Thursday, June 25, 2015, at Black River Falls, Wisconsin.

Todd was born on January 11, 1961 in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Leslie and Betty Lou (Gardner) Wood. He grew up in Cook, graduating from Cook High School in 1979. He enlisted in the Army, served at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and earned numerous awards. After his tour of duty he returned to Cook, where he, his father Leslie, and brother Robbin operated Northwood Logging for 20 years. He was united in marriage to Roberta "Bobbie" Gregg on July 27, 1991, in Virginia. For the past 7 years he was a dedicated employee of Right of Way Consulting (ROWC), where he was currently a safety officer. He was a founding member of the Northwoods Riders MC, where he was known by all as "Gus1".

If you knew Todd, you will never forget his humor, his laugh, his love for life. Todd could fix anything, and if he couldn't, he'd dwell on it until it was solved. He had a joke for every occasion, and if the joke didn't make you chuckle, Todd's infectious laugh would. He, and brother Robbin, were the "go to" guys in the family. Our pain is immense – like the void he leaves in our lives and our hearts. We ask for your prayers to help us figure out just how to go on without this gentle giant of a man. We believe that with the painful state of the world, God needed a laugh – and He called up the very best joke teller to sit by His side.

Todd is survived by his wife and best friend, Bobbie; his parents, Leslie and Betty Lou Wood of Cook; 1 sister, Jody Refsdal of Cook; 5 brothers, Michael (Paulette) Valento of Iron, MN, Dave (Carrolle) Wood of Cook, Robbin (Molly) Wood of Linden Grove, Tracy Wood of East Bethel, MN, and Troy Wood of Stacy, MN; his special adopted family: Jeff Hamsmith, Connie Beck and Joey Hamsmith; his Northwoods Riders MC family; along with numerous nieces, nephews, and many, many friends.

SERVICES: Funeral services will be at 1:00 PM Monday, July 6, 2015, at Mlaker Funeral Home in Cook. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 pm Sunday, and will continue for one hour prior to the funeral at the funeral home. Pastor Liz Cheney will be the officiant. Dan Bogren will provide the special music. The casket bearers will be Todd's nephews: Jeremy Valento, Paul Valento, Nicholas Wood, Rok Wood, Daren Refsdal, Sean Wood, and "adopted grandson", Joey Hamsmith. The honorary bearers will be the Northwoods Riders MC. Military honors will be accorded by the honor guards of the Cook Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #1757 and Orr American Legion Post #480. An escort by the Northwoods Riders MC will lead the procession to the Cook Community Cemetery. A reception in Todd's honor will follow at the Cook VFW. If so desired, in lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to the Northwoods Riders MC, P.O. Box 1181, Cook, MN. 55723. It will be used to help fund Operation Rudolph, to buy Christmas toys for the kids- an event that was dear to Todd's heart.
To sign the online guest book, or to leave a condolence to the family, go to: www.mlakerfuneralhome.com