William "Bill" Wood's Obituary
William “Bill” W. Wood, age 83 of Ithaca, NY, passed away on Tuesday, August 20th, 2024, in Fort Myers, FL. Born November 27th, 1940, Bill was the son of the late Woodrow W. Wood and Rosemary L. Wood. After graduating from Dryden High School in 1958 and completing his degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1965, Bill worked as a Project Manager for Morse Chain in Ithaca, NY. He lived in 14 cities throughout the United States, traveled to England, France, the Netherlands and Germany, and fostered passions for reading, creative writing, history, carpentry, automotives, pop culture and music. Bill was an accomplished academic, a self-described nomad, a jokester, a curious and independent traveler, and a beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
Bill is survived by his partner of 26 years, Darlene Keyser of Fort Myers, FL, and his daughter, Amy Wood Gonzalez of Ithaca, NY. The eldest of six children, he is also survived by siblings Eileen M. “Robin” Wilcox (Floyd), Thomas C. Wood (Carolyn), David A. “Woody” Wood and George K. Wood (Debbie). In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his brother James F. Wood and his sons William W. Wood II and Nicholas W. Wood.
Additionally, Bill is survived by his dear friend Rosalie Wood and stepdaughter Valerie Bossard Siniscalco. He is also survived by six grandchildren, Samantha W. Lavelle (Eric), Dillon Wood (Josalynn), Rebecca Wood, Lindsey Wood, Hannah Gonzalez and Ian Gonzalez, as well as two great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Bill was extraordinarily thoughtful and introspective, characterized by his kindness, generosity and compassion. He once wrote that it gave him great pleasure to see that his siblings had also inherited those traits and passed them on to their children. He was gifted at making friends in all walks of life and pondered his legacy in many respects.
As he worked on his autobiography and composed multiple short stories, memoir chapters and thought pieces, he often emphasized the impact he hoped to have on his family and friends. He wrote, “We must remember, it’s not what we leave FOR others that matters, it’s what we leave IN them that matters most.”
A family and friends gathering will be held on a date to be announced at Green Hills Cemetery in Dryden, NY.
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