Jerry "Wayne" Woods

Jerry Wayne Woods, who passed away on Monday, January 16, 2023, at home surrounded by family and under the care of Hospice Brazos Valley, will be laid to rest at the Woods Family Cemetery at their Double Diamond Ranch home in Centerville on January 17th at 3:00pm.

Born January 27, 1948, in the hills of Morristown, Tennessee, Wayne grew up in the country surrounded by nature and moved to the big city of Atlanta, GA, as a young teenager where he met the love of his life when he was 17. Wayne married Mary Helton in 1968, and they had their first two children while still living in Atlanta where Wayne proudly worked as a banker and served in the Army Reserves. In the late 1970s, the young family moved to South Carolina, where their third child was born, and Wayne found his vocational calling as a salesman.

Thriving in sales, Wayne took a gamble in 1988 by moving to Texas to start his own company, Plumbing Sales Associates in Houston, which he owned and successfully operated until his retirement in 2002. It was in this industry that Wayne made some of his closest, life-long friends. Pursuing his love of nature and country life, Wayne and Mary bought land in Centerville in 1993 that became the Double Diamond Ranch, so named by placing the “W” and “M” in their names on top of each other. Along with his best friend, the two grew a gaming ranch with exotic animals from around the world. Wayne took great pride in the land he worked and the legacy he gave to his children and grandchildren.

Wayne remained an outdoorsman throughout his life, enjoying hunting, fishing, gardening, and even mowing his fields on his John Deere tractor. He and Mary created a quiet, happy life on the ranch, where they were often found sitting on the front porch talking and enjoying a cup of coffee together. With all that he accomplished in his nearly 75 years, his greatest pride was in his 3 children and 5 grandchildren.

Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2007, Wayne bravely battled cancer for 15 years under the care of a great team of doctors and healthcare professionals at MD Anderson in Houston. The Woods family is extremely grateful for the extra time God allowed them to spend with Wayne. A Christian throughout his adult life, on December 30, 2022, Wayne became an Orthodox Christian and chose the Righteous Nicodemus from the book of John, Chapter 3 as his patron saint.

Wayne was preceded in death by his parents, Fannie Rodriguez and Ernest and Ailene Ricker, and his sister, Marlene Brown. He is survived by his wife, Mary of Centerville; son, Scott (Lily) of Carrollton; son, Jeff (Heather) of Spring; daughter, Tyler of Centerville; grandchildren, Finn, Nina, Olivia, Walker, and Ellie; brother, Kenneth Ricker of Georgia; numerous friends and his dogs, cats, and deer. May his memory be eternal.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Jerry Wayne Woods to the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma at MD Anderson Cancer Center via gifts.mdanderson.org.  Then you may “choose where my donation will go.”