Mr. Johnny Lee Jason "Jason" Wood, 54, of Elkhart, passed away in the early morning of Sunday, December 24, 2023 near Bremen, Indiana.

He was born in Gwinnett County, Georgia on September 26, 1969 to the late Johnny and Ruby (Collins) Wood and is also preceded in death by a wife, Tracie Yaratch Wood, and siblings David and Heidi Wood.

Among those surviving Jason are sons Bronson A. Wood of Elkhart and Johnny Ray Wilson of Florida; daughters Daisy Holloway and Erica Sanders, both of Georgia; sister Amanda Hayes, also from Georgia; Bentlee, Breighton, Brayden, Mackenzie, Kailee and Abbi, and great-granddaughter Tessa. Additionally, Jason will be remembered by a loving host of extended family, friends, pals and folks from back home, as well as a special friend, Debra Price.

Although exact details are yet to be determined, a memorial service for Jason will take place in the near future and will be posted here. In accordance with the family's wishes, cremation is to take place with the assistance and direction of Billings Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Elkhart.

Jason wore many hats throughout his life, but whether it was carpentry, construction or production work, his "can-do" attitude and personal work ethic helped him through many projects. He was quite adept with tools and construction equipment and had the reputation for being able to fix or build just about anything. He was also a master of true southern-style wood smoked barbecue whose reputation had him close to opening up his own restaurant prior to his passing.

As we said, Jason wore many hats throughout his life, and probably had twice as many nicknames. Jason, Country, Big Country, Bird and Rabbit were just the tip of the iceberg of names that defined Jason. Big hearted, always happy and always eager to help out others, it was rumored that not only was Jason the type of guy who'd give a fellow the shirt off his back; he'd offer up his trousers as well! He was also quite the conversationalist, and while we wouldn't say he'd talk your ear off, the smart person would clear their schedule before speaking with him. He also had a pretty good relationship with his son, Bronson, as Jason took great pride in teaching Bronson his way around a garage or a smoker or the ways of the outdoors. Bronson will always remember the pride in his dad's eyes whenever he mastered something that his dad had taught him.

Finally, it cannot go without saying that Jason was a hard-core Harley Davidson enthusiast who could find his freedom chasing after endless yellow lane markers on miles and miles of open road.

"….and when my time comes to take that last ride,

You can bet it'll be with a smile;

Cause I love to ride, and I'll be going home,

So I'll enjoy it to the very last mile."