Deering, NH – James Douglas “Jim” Wood of Deering died peacefully on November 26th after a period of declining health. He was 82.
The son of Dorothy Parker Wood and Wallace Peter Wood, Jim graduated from Hillsboro-Deering High School in 1961. In 1965 he earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire.
He earned much of his college tuition playing lead guitar for Checkmates, a rock band which played gigs at fraternity parties and dances at UNH as well as colleges and universities throughout northern New England.
After college, Jim supervised the maintenance of equipment at the historic, water-powered woolen mills in Harrisville, NH.
In 1991 he married Judy Gallagher (Jarvis) of Deering, NH. Judy died in 2019.
In 1991, Jim lost his right thumb in an industrial accident. In a pioneering surgical procedure, doctors at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital in Hanover amputated his big toe
from his right foot and grafted it onto his right hand. The resulting “thoe,” as they called it, enabled him to hold a guitar pick. He continued to play for the rest of his life.
An avid outdoorsman, Jim loved hunting, fishing, hiking, and gardening. He spent countless days exploring the woods and fields near his home.
Jim was predeceased by his brothers Maurice and David Wood.
Donations can be made in Jims’s memory to: Riverbend, 42 Pleasant Street, Concord NH 03301
The family thanks Jim’s neighbor Priscilla for caring for every aspect of his life in his final years. The family also recognizes Jim’s stepdaughter Julie who was his primary caregiver immediately following the death of her mother Judy. Priscilla and Julie’s love and care enhanced the quality of the end of his life.
A Celebration of Life will be planned for the Summer of 2026.
Click here to sign the guest book or honor their memory with flowers, donations, or other heartfelt tributes