George M. Wood III, 87, died August 7, 2015 at a Bangor nursing home. He was born June 8, 1928 in Eddington, the son of George Manning Wood Jr and Inez Camilla (Boynton) Wood.
Woody graduated from Old Town High school. Class of 1946. During his youth he enjoyed many years gardening and farming in Bradley. As he would often joke and say "My toys were a hoe and a shovel." At age 20 he met his first love, Lillian Burns at the Burns store of Orono and they married July 1, 1949. They were married for 23 years before Lillian died of lung cancer on August 26, 1972. In 1950 they had their daughter Linda Mae and in 1954 their son Richard David "Woody" Wood. In 1975 he found love again with his second wife Donna Carpenter and they were married for 40 years before he passed away. He enjoyed his career of 43 years as the Athletic Equipment Manager at the University of Maine. He was a well-respected employee, made life-long friends and he especially enjoyed traveling with the college football team. Additionally, he was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame and an award was named in his honor George Wood Special Teams given to a deserving football player each year. He spent many summers at his camp on Chemo Pond in Eddington enjoying, fishing, swimming and especially water skiing.
In addition to his parents, and first wife Lillian, he was predeceased by his grandson Gabriel CT Wood, brother in law Norman Knapp, son in law John "Chris" Kelleher Jr and great grandchild child Austin Hewey. Surviving in addition to his wife Donna and her children and grandchildren, are his daughter Linda (Wood) Kelleher of Bangor, son Richard "Woody" Wood and his wife Peggy (Brickett) Wood of Phoenix, Arizona, 5 grandchildren, Jennifer Kelleher, Ty Kelleher Spain, John C. Kelleher III, Hannah (Kelleher) Simpson and Racheal (Wood) Boyington, 15 great grandchildren, Jackson, Shanley, Kayla, Amethyst, Trevin, Aidan, Dominik, Katie, Leah, Kalika, Arianna, Gavin, Kaleb, Emily and Lexy and one sister Phyllis Knapp, niece April and her husband Carl Ripley, nephew Dana Knapp and his wife Twila and their children Zachary and Anna, sister in law Arlene Ireland and brother in law Lawrence Burns.
A funeral service will be held 11 a.m., Wednesday, August 12, 2015 at the Brewer Chapel of Brookings-Smith, 55 S. Main Street, in Brewer. Following the service the family invites relatives and friends to share conversation and refreshments at the Family Reception Rooms of the Brewer Chapel of Brookings-Smith. Interment will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Bradley at 2 p.m. Those who wish to remember George "Woody" in a special way may make gifts in his memory to Friends of Maine Football of the University of Maine, 5747 Memorial Gym, Room 173 Orono, ME 04469. Condolences to the family may be expressed at www.BrookingsSmith.com