Isabelle Jean Wood

Isabelle Jean Wood, 97, died August 29, 2020 at her home in Mandan.

A memorial service will be held at 1 pm on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 at Mandan United Methodist Church with Rev. Bruce Adams officiating.  Inurnment will be at the ND Veterans Cemetery.

The family will greet friends one hour prior to the service at the church on Tuesday.

Isabelle Jean was born December 30, 1922 in Pierpont, SD, to Clifford and Ruby (Wilson) Shannon.  Raised during the Great Depression, Jean helped care for her younger brothers and worked at the family business, Shannon Drug.  That time and the war years that followed shaped her values and world views.  Jean graduated from Pierpont High School in 1939 and attended Macalester College in St. Paul, MN and then Northern State College in Aberdeen, SD, earning her BA in education.  Jean worked in Millbank, SD then Rawlins, WY, where she taught high school English, speech, and drama.

Jean met Kent Wood while he worked at Rawlins JC Penney store and they had many adventures together, including getting lost when Kent tried to fly to Pierpont to meet her parents.  They were married on June 24, 1947 in SD and moved to Casper, WY shortly after with Kent’s job at JC Penney.   Kent’s job transfers took them to Billings, MT, Rapid City, SD, and Spokane, WA.  The family enjoyed camping, boating, and a vacation to Disneyland the year that it opened.  When Kent became manager of his own JC Penney store, the family moved to Mandan, ND in 1957.  For two decades, Jean and Kent were active in the Mandan business community as well as Mandan Presbyterian Church, Rotary, and Revelers.  Jean served on the board for the new Mandan Hospital and taught for 15 years at the State Industrial School.  After they both retired, Jean and Kent traveled across the US selling caps, shirts, and other goods to rural stores.  Kent passed away in 1998.  Their children, Vicki and Chip helped their mother to remain in their home until her passing.

Blessed to have shared in her life are her two children, Vicki Berglind and Gary Kent “Chip” Wood; 4 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren; brother, Jerry Shannon, Burlington, NC; sister-in-law, Marian Shannon, Geneseo, IL; and many nieces and nephews.

Jean was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; two brothers, Jackie and Larry Shannon; son-in-law, Don Berglind; and sister-in-law, Marilyn Shannon.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Mandan United Methodist Church, Mandan Presbyterian Church, Macalaster College, or Mandan/Morton Public Library.