Obituary of Harold R Hood

Harold Richard Hood went to be with the Lord on October 25, 2023, in Mountain Home, Idaho. He was born on September 1, 1943 in Tallessee, Alabama.  He leaves behind his wife of 33 years, Roberta Q Hood and children; Leilani Mitchell (Matthew Mitchell), and Melani Wells (Scott Wells), along with his beloved stepchildren Shauna Huffaker (Mohammed Essawi), Brian Huffaker (Misa Huffaker), and Brad Huffaker (Naoko Huffaker), along with Angela Huffaker the widow of Glen Huffaker. He has six grandchildren that he adored: Kurie, Kotae, Tara, Cody, Miriam and Summer. As well as his loving sister Mary Jo Fesperman (Arron Alford). 

Harold served 2 years in the Army National Guard, and 20 years in the Air Force as a Jet Engine Mechanic. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam before ending his service in Mountain Home, Idaho in 1983.

After leaving the Air Force and meeting his wife Roberta, Harold was inspired to return to school where he earned his associate degree in Electronics. He combined his newly acquired knowledge with his long-held passion for documenting family life on film into his own videography business. He served the people in the community by being their go to person to make heartfelt family and life event videos that they could treasure for years to come.

Now that all the biographical nitty gritty is out of the way let me tell you about the man, I knew my whole life. As I sat to write this the opening verse of the song “Impossible” by Joe Nicoles kept playing in broken bits through my head. The song opens with:

“My dad chased monsters from the dark
He checked underneath my bed
And he could lift me with one arm
Way up over top his head
He could loosen rusty bolts
With a quick turn of his wrench
He pulled splinters from his hand
Never even flinched.”

That was both the dad and papo (grandfather) he was. He was the strongest most loving man I ever knew. Though as good as these few lines are important uniquely Harold details are missing. Such as how he could pull splinters from your hand without making you flinch. He made it so painless you didn’t even know it was happening until the little splinter was out and he was wrapping your little finger in a band aid.

He loved to make people smile and laugh. Family dinners, UTV riding with friends, stuck in a broken-down car on the side of the road, or chilling in a hospital bed it didn’t matter he knew just what to say to make people laugh. He had a unique gift for connecting with people and lifting their spirits. I have never met someone who met him and didn’t instantly like him.

He was such a caring loving person that he always wanted people to feel comfortable and wanted. If he felt the camper was too cold, he was up piling blankets on you until he was satisfied, you’d suffer from heat stroke well before you froze. On camping trips, he was always the first one up waking everyone else with the smell of breakfast ready to serve. He was the Papo who didn’t scold when a naughty granddaughter got out of bed in the middle of the night to investigate what their Papo was watching. No instead he told her to get her own spoon so she could share his tub of ice cream while watching late night television.

He loved spending time with his family and teaching us important life skills like how to bate a hook, how to shoot, and how to find yourself on another unplanned, naively unexpected, adventure. Those adventures became the stories he loved to share at any opportunity and took great pride in telling.

When he married his wife Roberta in 1990 her family became his and his love encompassed them. He loved her children as he loved his own daughters. And when more grandchildren came all were loved with the same fierceness.

With a bigger family his adventures became bigger. Now not only did his adventurous spirit have him exploring the United States up down and all the way around but he also explored Canada, Europe, Australia, and Egypt. Bringing home a whole new batch of stories and jokes to share.

He was always the man people could count on. If you needed him all you had to do was ask and he would be there. Day or night, rain, or shine, it did not matter. He loved helping people and was proud when he could.

He loved his family with everything he had. He was the best husband, dad, papo and brother any of us could have asked for.

He will be missed, and we all look forward to the day we are reunited.

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