Mary Dougherty Wood

Mary Dougherty Wood died peacefully on October 18, 2017, at her home in Chestertown, MD. She was born on December 8, 1918, in Wyncote, PA, to Graham Dougherty and Maria Newbold Dougherty and moved in 1932 to Berryville, VA, with her parents, her sister, and her two brothers. She lived in New York City as a young woman and attended Barnard College. During World War II, she lived in Washington, DC, and worked for the Red Cross. She was married to Howard Wood in 1942, and the couple settled on Indiantown Farm near Centreville, MD, where they lived until 1996 when they moved to Chestertown. The Woods lived, worked, travelled, and sailed together until Howard’s death in 2008. Over the years, Mary played an active role in improving the lives of Eastern Shore residents. She worked with the local Red Cross and PTA and helped start a daycare center, a medical center, and the Spaniard’s Neck Foundation for affordable housing in Queen Anne’s County. She also drove the bookmobile in Talbot County. A poet and playwright, she participated in the Maryland Arts Council’s Poets-in-the-Schools Program. She was instrumental in rescuing the Church Hill Theatre and turning it into a thriving cultural force in the county and in bringing the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra to the Eastern Shore for the Mid-Shore Symphony concert series. She was also a founder of the Kent Association for Riding Therapy (KART). She served on the Maryland Advisory Committee of the US Civil Rights Commission and was active in the NAACP. In 2015, she became a founding member of the Kent-Queen Anne’s Affiliate of the Maryland Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1968 from Washington College, Chestertown, and later served on the Board of Visitors and Governors of the College. She helped establish the Rose O’Neill Literary House there, which includes a room dedicated to her. She worked with the Literary House to create the Mary Wood Fellowship, awarded in even-numbered years to a female-identifying writer in poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction who has published at least one book. Her children’s book "The Magic Mystery Swan" was published in 1974 and received the Easton Academy of Arts prize. She received the University of Indiana’s Elizabeth Enright Memorial Award for her short novel, "Eclipse." These works were followed over the years by two volumes of poetry, a book of essays, and one of short stories. Several of her plays were produced, including “Crossing the Gulf Stream,” “1787,” “Remarkable Recovery,” and “Hunting Rights.” She also published a set of four books about her grandmothers and her husband’s grandmothers, based on letters and historical research. The most successful was “My Darling Alice,” which evokes Eastern Shore life during the civil war and the depression. Mary is survived by her children, Robin Wood (Susan), Emory W. Disney (Loren), James D. Wood (JoAnn); her grandchildren, Maria D. Wood, Adams J. Wood, Helen A. Wood, Olivia M. Wood, Julia M. Wood, and Laura M. Wood; two great-grandchildren, Phebe L. Wood and Winter C. Wood; and a brother, Frazer L.W. Dougherty. She was preceded in death by Howard Wood, her husband of 66 years; a brother, Graham Dougherty; a sister, Gertrude Watkins; and a beloved grandson, Miles H. Disney. Mary had the gift of staying in touch with her extended family and a large network of friends. An inveterate letter-writer, she was an early adopter of word processing and email, which she used until the last days of her life. She touched many lives and will be greatly missed. All are welcome to attend an open house in celebration of Mary’s life at the Rose O’Neill Literary House, Washington College, 407 Washington Ave., Chestertown, from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, November 4 and a memorial service at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 5, at the Presbyterian Church of Chestertown, 905 Gateway Dr., Chestertown. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Church Hill Theatre or Kent Association for Riding Therapy (KART).

Mary Dougherty Wood

December 8, 1918 - October 18, 2017