Joan M. (Hayes) Wood, 74, of Westport, passed away on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at Rhode Island Hospital after a brief illness. She was the wife of James W. Wood; after a blind date in 1977, they shared 47 wonderful years together of marriage, laughter, and family.
Mrs. Wood was born in New Bedford, daughter of the late John and Doris (Legere) Hayes. She grew up in Dartmouth and had resided in Westport since 1978. Prior to her retirement in 2012, she was a special education teacher for Westport Community Schools; helping, teaching, and guiding her students was her passion and special gift in life.
She was also co-founder of Wood’s Farm and Wood’s Ice Cream in Westport with her husband, Jim. Her favorite hobby (some would say obsession) was genealogy and ancestry; at least twice a week, she would randomly ask a stranger at Lees, “Where are your ancestors
from?” or “What does your last name mean?”
She was especially proud of her Irish and Acadian roots, and spent years in the early 1990’s at local libraries tracing her family back hundreds of years into the 1400’s.
Along with her husband, her loving family includes her son John Atherton Wood of Westport; her son Charles Hayes Wood and his wife, Kate, of Westport; her daughter, Elizabeth Hayes Wood and her husband, Daniel Desmarais, of Westport; a brother: Robert Hayes of New Bedford, a sister: Patricia Hayes of New Bedford; and 3 grandchildren: Eloise Wood, Pearl Wood, and Cedelia Desmarais.
Services are private.