Paul Wood - Owner

Paul is a Certified Funeral Service Practitioner with the Academy of Profession Funeral Service Practice and has held a funeral director and embalmer’s license in Oklahoma since 1989.  He received certification from the Cremation Association of North America as a Crematory Operator in 1996 and earned a Master’s Degree in Human Relations with emphasis in grief counseling from the University of Oklahoma.

Paul and his wife Shearon married in 1977. They have two sons; Grant who is a senior at the University of Oklahoma majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Preston a sophomore in high school where he is active in Jazz Band, Orchestra, Concert Band and Marching Band.  He is also an active member of the CrossPointe Church Youth Group.

Paul began his funeral service career in 1977 just out of high school and while attending Hillsdale Bible College in Moore, Oklahoma.  He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Theology in 1980 and has 10 years of pastoral ministry experience having pastored churches in Oklahoma and Washington State.  Paul has completed funeral service apprenticeships in both Washington and Oklahoma.  In 1987 Paul moved to Dallas, Texas, where he gradated from the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service in 1989.

Paul’s funeral service career includes serving as General Manager for a group of 4 independently owned funeral homes in Northeast Oklahoma. In 1990 he moved to Norman, Oklahoma to complete his Master’s degree and began working for the Alderwoods Group (formerly the Loewen Group) at Mayes Funeral Directors.  In 1993 he was promoted to General Manager of Guardian Midtown Funeral Home, Oklahoma City Regional Embalming Service and to serve as the Regional Compliance Director. 

On April 19, 1995 he was managing the funeral home 5 blocks from the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City when a bomb exploded killing 168 people.  Paul assisted with the gathering of information from families who had a loved one missing and later help to coordinate and supervise the notification of the families once the medical examiner had identified the remains.

In July of 1995 he was asked to develop a compliance and safety program for the Alderwoods Group, the second largest funeral service company in North America.  He was responsible for developing operational procedures, compliance programs and training to meet the requirement of federal and state regulations as well and company initiatives.  He remained in this position until November of 2006 when Service Corporation International, (SCI) purchased the Alderwoods Group.  Paul was asked to remain with SCI as Director of Quality Assurance and Compliance, Special Projects.  In March of 2008 he resigned is now co-owner of The Springs Funeral Services.