Obituary of Richard Harold Wood Sr.

Richard Harold Wood, Sr., 78, passed away peacefully on Monday, March 11, 2019. Richard was raised in Neptune and had lived in Wall and Howell before retiring to Moneta, Virginia in 1999. He was a member of the IBEW, Local 675 in Elizabeth and worked for Eii, Inc. in Cranford, NJ for 40 years.

Richard thoroughly enjoyed spending quality time with his family while living on Smith Mountain Lake, where countless hours were spent with his children and grandchildren fishing and jet skiing. His family was always a priority. Richard, an avid hunter and fisherman, would spend most of his free time with family in the woods or on the water/lake. Richard also enjoyed his time with his brother, Henry H. Wood, creating taxidermy masterpieces while in Arizona during the winter months. Richard’s love for the outdoors is best exemplified via trips to Alaska for the Salmon Run, and to the Florida Keys for Mahi, and numerous hunting trips to New Mexico, Wyoming and Arizona. On any given day, he could be found working on watercraft engines with his close friends, Eddie and Robbie and also shooting and fishing with Mark. He also loved his afternoon naps in his “perch”, his favorite recliner. Richard was a wonderful father, grandfather and role model, who always shared valuable advice and recollections of adventurous escapades.

Richard was predeceased by his wife, Jane Hoch Wood, in 2007.   He leaves behind his loving fianceé, Randi Ayers; ex-wife, Catherine Wood-Fouts; his children, Catherine Sturgill and her husband, Ralph Sr., Richard Jr. and his wife, Sandra, Candace Dovenero and her husband, William, Cristin Wood Dovenero, Robert and his wife, Lori, Dr. Courtney Ahlers and her husband, Ryan, Raymond Wood, and Ernest Hoch and his wife, Charlotte. He is also survived by twenty grandchildren, Cyndal, Ralph Jr., Chiara, and Randy Sturgill; Richard III and his wife, Cassandra, and Stephanie Wood; William IV, Carissa, Robert Jr., and Cara Dovenero; Raymond Jr., Tyler, Lyla and Rhylen Wood; Hannah, Emily and Calvin Ahlers; Derek, Caitlin, and Breanna Hoch; a brother, Henry H. and his wife, Lois; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.  

Visitation will be held at the Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 from 2:00 to 4:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Relatives and friends are invited to gather at the funeral home on Thursday, March 14, 2019 at 8:30 AM for the procession to his 9:30 AM Funeral Mass at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, 935 Bennetts Mills Road, Jackson, NJ 08527.  Interment will be private.  In lieu of flowers, please send all donations to the Cancer Research Institute, or donate online at https://fundraise.cancerresearch.org/richardhwoodsr. For additional information, directions or condolence messages to the family, visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com