Stephen Lane Wood

Stephen Lane Wood, 84, of Provo, Utah, died July 1, 2009, of causes incident to age. He was born July 2, 1924, near Logan, Utah, to J. Karl and Phebe Ricks Wood. From an early age, he had a keen interest in nature and wildlife and his love of insects led to his major in entomology. He received his BS in 1946 and MS in 1948 from Utah State University. He received his Ph.D. in 1953 from the University of Kansas. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He worked as a research aide for the Utah Experiment Station, a science teacher at Beaver County High School, an assistant instructor of biology at the University of Kansas, a research entomologist at the Canada Department of Agriculture, a professor of entomology at Brigham Young University and a professor emeritus at BYU. Stephen served as editor of the Great Basin Naturalist and Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs. He was a visiting research professor of forest entomology at universities in San Jose, Costa Rica and Merida, Venezuela. He had many exciting adventures collecting insects in the jungles of Central and South America and Mexico. He even went on a crocodile hunt and climbed a mountain in Costa Rica that had not been explored previously. He was recognized as the principle world authority on the classification and behavior of bark and ambrosia beetles. He traveled the world collecting those insects. He was the author of many scientific articles and books. His collection of bark and ambrosia beetles was donated to the Smithsonian Institution. For more than 50 years he provided a free identification service for bark and ambrosia beetles to research workers worldwide. He was a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. He served in a district presidency, as bishop of the BYU 147th Ward, as ward clerk, as president of a Seventies quorum, in three elders quorum presidencies and in numerous other positions. He is now reunited with his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth, who preceded him in death. He is survived by his three children: Katherine, John and Marian; 12 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Pat and Maxine. Funeral services will be held Monday, July 6, at 10 a.m. at the Oak Hills 1st Chapel, 1038 N. 1200 E., Provo. Friends may call at the church, Sunday 6 to 8 p.m. and 9 to 9:30 a.m. prior to the services at the church. Interment will be in the Logan City Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to info@bergmortuary.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Stephen L. Wood Endowment c/o the Monte L. Bean Museum at Brigham Young University.