William Holmes Wood Jr.

William Holmes Wood Jr., MD Bill Wood passed on March 7th at Brightview Assisted Living in Annapolis at the age of 90. He was born June 11, 1935 in Newburgh New York to Elizabeth Tuttle Wood and Maj. William H Wood Sr., both natives of Baltimore. When his father ascended to head football coach at West Point, Bill and older sister Puddy became the unofficial team mascots. McDonogh School and Camp Red Cloud provided Bill with a rich set of friends and memories as his parents were posted around the country and world. He fondly recalled his teenage years in postwar Munich and returned to Germany often throughout his later years. Bill graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1956, majoring in philosophy. He then enrolled at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and graduated MD-PhD in 1962. During his research studies in microbiology, Bill met Jane Grieves of Baltimore and in 1959 they were married. Together they navigated children, internship, and residency in San Francisco, Washington DC, and Cleveland. Bill, Jane, Jan, Bill, and Susan settled in Easton in 1970, adding Martha to the brood in 1973. Dr. Wood entered private practice in partnership with Drs. Stephen Carney and ‘Buddha’ Harrison; he loved his work as a physician and was a leader in the local medical community for 40 years until his retirement in 2010. Bill was widowed in 1998; in 2003 he married longtime close family friend and widow Kanny Manuel. After many years of travel and companionship, they divorced prior to his entry into assisted living in 2021. Bill’s love of sailing started at a young age on Lake Champlain and continued on the Chesapeake throughout his life. He was an enthusiastic golfer at Talbot Country Club and an active member of Christ Church in Easton. His love of travel and voracious appetite for reading expressed the intellectual curiosity at his core. He was devoted to his family and a generous friend to all. Bill is survived by his four children, ten grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. He is predeceased by sister ‘Puddy’ W. Ellison (1973), his parents Brig. Gen. William H. Wood (1988) and Elizabeth T. Wood (1999), and his wife Jane G. Wood (1998). Visitation with the family will be held on Saturday, March 28, from 10:00 am 12:00 pm at Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home at 200 S. Harrison St. in Easton MD. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to the Rural-MD Scholars program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

William Holmes Wood Jr.

June 11, 1935 - March 7, 2026