Leland Keith Wood, Certified Crime Prevention Specialist, age 85, received his angel wings and went home to our Lord on January 4, 2021. His wife Jean and granddaughter Lillian were with him.
Leland was born in Mountainair, New Mexico, to Howard P. Wood and Nola Marie Wheeler Wood June 27, 1935, the second of four children. He was raised from the age of twelve by his Uncle Arthur and Aunt Flossie Wheeler near Whitesboro, Texas, with a strong Christian upbringing in the Presbyterian faith. In 1954 Leland graduated from Whitesboro H.S. where he played four years of varsity football, was class officer, and was named as Senior Favorite. On weekends he ranched, riding his beloved horse Tarzan to earn enough to make his own way. He also enjoyed active rodeo participation.
Leland served as Staff Sgt. in the US Air Force from 1954-1958 at Webb AFB in Big Spring, Texas. In 1958 he joined the Odessa Police Dept. as a Patrolman and Firearms Instructor and Homicide Detective. He helped establish the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Odessa serving as a Ruling Elder in Odessa, Spearman, and San Marcos. Leland was a 32nd degree Mason in the Masonic Lodge. He served as Chief Deputy Sheriff for Hansford County in 1965 and Chief of Police in Spearman, Texas from 1966-1974. Leland served as Criminal Investigator for the Potter County Sheriff’s Dept. In 1974, as Crime Prevention Coordinator of the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission, Leland authored a handbook for the rural Texas Panhandle and established the first rural crime prevention program in the United States.
Leland was commissioned, through a Grant from the Governor in 1974, to establish the Texas Crime Prevention Institute (TCPI) at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, now Texas State University. The Institute provides training for law enforcement officers across the state. During his 43-year tenure Leland taught hundreds of officers from Police Departments throughout Texas, DPS troopers, FBI Academy students, and Executive security personnel in Saudi Arabia. Leland lectured nationally and internationally on crime prevention, burglary techniques and prevention, executive protection, and public speaking.
Bryant Gumbel interviewed Leland on the “TODAY” show in 1983, regarding Crime Prevention in America. In 1984, Mr. Wood co-founded Homicide Investigators of Texas (H.I.T.) an organization that continues to thrive and increase in membership. H.I.T. holds annual training conferences for officers from Texas. Leland was directly involved in Crime Stoppers training since its inception in Texas. In 1992, the Governor and Crime Stoppers Advisory Council honored Mr. Wood for his outstanding personal effort and contribution to Crime Stoppers. While serving as Director of TCPI Leland earned a B.A. in Criminal Justice plus 29 hours toward his Master’s degree from SWTSU. Leland retired as Director of TCPI in 1997, then continued working independently as a Security Consultant, an expert witness in civil litigation cases, and often as a keynote speaker. Mr. Wood authored many articles on self-protection, vandalism, armed robbery, auto theft prevention, and wrote the “Pilot Crime Prevention Program for Sheriffs.”
Leland was an active member of the Chapel in the Hills in Wimberley from 1983 to the present, serving as President of the Board and also Chairman of the Nominating Committee. He always enjoying playing the part of a Wise Man in the Christmas Live Nativity scene and was a devoted member of the Choir from 1983 to March 2020. He and Jean loved trips in their RV with the Chapel Holy Rollers group.
Leland Wood, generous giver of kindness, strength and wisdom is pre-deceased by his parents, his three sisters Billie Jean Kloss, Betty Meisner, and Martha Lloyd, niece Lynn Robertson, and Carolyn Fielder, mother of his two eldest sons Roy and Brian. He is survived by his wife of 35 years Jean Wood, their children Roy Wood (Mary), Teresa Stott, David Stott (Ann), Brian Wood (Gaye), and Karen Evans (Jim); grandchildren Randi Kellams, Jayla McRay, Anthony Wood, Joshua Stott, Michael Stott, Victoria Wood, Lillian Heyen, and John Dane Heyen; great grandchildren Truman McRay, Amelie McRay, Kayne Heyen, and Dani Guddell. Also surviving is brother-in-law Terry Lloyd and many beloved nieces, nephews and family members in the Wood/Wheeler circle.
A Memorial Service will take place Saturday, January 23, at 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Wimberley.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wimberley Chapel in the Hills Interdenominational Church at wimberleychapelinthehills.com, Homicide Investigators of Texas at hitx.org, or the St. Labre Indian School of Ashland, Montana at stlabre.org. Online gifts will be tripled for donations made by February 15.
Arrangements were under the direction of Thomason Funeral Home. For more information and to sign the online registry, please visit thomasonfuneralhome.com.
