William E. Wood, 79, of Ledyard, passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, surrounded by his children.
He was born to the late William E. Wood and Mary (Burns) Wood on Nov. 30, 1933. William attended Robert E. Fitch Senior High School and then served in the U.S. Marine Corp from 1949 to 1953.
He was married to Jean M. (Jodoin) Wood on Aug. 4, 1956 at Sacred Heart Church in Groton. They were married for 42 years until Jean’s death in 1998.
William worked at Electric Boat for 35 years, retiring in 1992 as a shipfitter foreman. For the last 19 years, he enjoyed ferrying auto parts around town for NAPA in Norwich. William was a lifelong member of the Roman Catholic Church and an active parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes in Gales Ferry. He was a gifted handyman who could fix just about anything, a plumber extraordinaire, and a loyal Yankees fan. Family was William’s true joy, a steadfast, loving presence throughout their lives.
William is survived by his four children, Renee Wood-Davis and her husband, David Davis, of Bolton, Chris Wood and his wife, Julie, of Sprague, Peter Wood of New York City, and Stefanie Wood and her husband, Stephen Savage, of New York City; his three grandchildren, Caitlin, William, and Chloë; and his five sisters, Virginia DeSiano, Dorothy Strickland, Mary Ball, Lorraine Saunders and Theresa Tolitsky; sisters-in-law, Dolores Wood of North Stonington, Jane Ferguson of Madison and Joyce Jervis of Groton; many nieces and nephews; and his dear friends and neighbors.
William is predeceased by his parents; and his brother, Daniel Wood.
His family will receive relatives and friends for visitation from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11, at Dinoto Funeral Home, 17 Pearl St., Mystic.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at noon Tuesday, Nov. 12, at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 1650 Route 12, Gales Ferry, followed by burial with full military honors at Avery Stoddard Cemetery, Route 214, Ledyard.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation at curemeso.org or Center for Hospice Care Southeast Connecticut at hospicesect.org.
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