Forrest Edwards “Buddy” Wood Jr., Ph.D. , was born in Fairfield on Aug. 20, 1937.
He grew up in Fairfield and nearby Teague, but for a brief but formative stint in Oklahoma. Forrest graduated from Teague High School in 1955 and Baylor University in 1958. From there, he went on to earn a PhD in Philosophy at Southwestern Seminary in 1964. For 46 years, Forrest taught the subjects of philosophy, ethics, religion, and logic at the University of Southern Mississippi. He also held the position of chairman of the Philosophy and Religion Department for many years until he retired in 2012.
Forrest authored a number of books, including the “The Delights and Dilemmas of Hunting” (on the ethics of hunting), “Whiteheadian Thought As a Basis for a Philosophy of Religion,” “Night Fell on the Mountain” (a novel), and “Land Without Ghosts Is Dirt” (hunting stories of Freestone County).
While at Seminary, Forrest met fellow student Evelyn Elaine Shadrick. They married on Aug. 18, 1962, and celebrated 62 years of marriage before he passed. Forrest and Elaine spent most of their life in Hattiesburg, Miss., where they raised two children, Eric and Sharon. They were longtime members of University Baptist Church, where Forrest J r.,
lent his wisdom and understanding nature to numerous committees, Sunday school classes, and, on occasion, the pulpit.
Forrest was an avid hunter and fisherman. He enjoyed hunting locally for turkey and deer and fly-fishing at Ingram’s pond. He would also make a yearly sojourn back to his ancestral land to hunt white tail deer, an experience he shared generously with his friends and family. In his later years, he would fly fish with his dear friend Carrol in Montana and troll the waters of Neah Bay and beyond with his pal, Mark.
Forrest died at home in Redmond, Wash., on Dec. 18, 2024, at the age of 87. He is survived by his wife, Elaine; his son, Eric Wood and daughter-in-law Sarah (Smith) Wood; his daughter, Sharon (Wood) Heinemann and son-in-law Charlie Heinemann; and grandson, Joseph Heinemann.
