Joseph Leonard Wood III

1945 - 2022

Joseph Leonard Wood III passed away March 6 succumbing to prostate cancer after a litany of other ailments tried and failed to take him down. He was born in Niagara Falls, NY, in 1945 and spent his early years in Alabama where his father was building an Olin Chemical plant. Joe immediately dominated the local academic circuit from 1st - 6th grade leading to his enrollment at University Military School. In 1959, his father was transferred to the Olin Chemicals headquarters in Baltimore. At McDonogh, he excelled academically, demonstrating a remarkable aptitude for math and science. While athletic glory eluded him, he spent his entire McDonogh career on the honor roll and upon graduating he was elected to the National Honor Society and was awarded a National Merit Scholarship. After McDonogh, Joe was accepted to Princeton where he studied Electrical Engineering. The '60s saw extraordinary technological breakthroughs, and Princeton put him on the front lines of innovation. He spent three years working at the campus AM/FM radio station WPRB running sports live remotes, cultivating an encyclopedic knowledge of '60s rock music, and even lending his velvety dulcet tone as a fill-in show host. In 1967, he graduated with honors in Electrical Engineering. He immediately set his sights on a Doctorate degree, and after submitting to the Vietnam Draft War Boards, he packed up and headed west to Berkley. He was working on next generation applications for phone lines and systems leading to the internet when his draft card was pulled. He enlisted in Officer Candidate School and scaled back from doctorate to a Masters, graduating in 1969 with an MSEE in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. He was commissioned soon after in the fall of 1969, serving one tour in Vietnam as a 1st Lieutenant and shop officer for the Maintenance Company, 196th Light Infantry Brigade. After getting out of the military as a captain in 1972, he joined Bell Labs in New Jersey working primarily in voice and data communications. It was a heady time inventing along with the best in the field. He spent 27 years at Bell Labs and Lucent, retiring in 1999. Shortly after, he would find himself in Maryland working for Aspect Communications in their federal sales office until 9/11 turned things upside down. Joe met Susan Mapes through his best friend from Princeton. They were married in 1973 and built an idyllic life in Cranbury, NJ, with two sons, Joe the 4th and Tim. Joe was a devoted father and husband, often sacrificing for the benefit of his boys. He was their scoutmaster seeing both through to the rank of Eagle Scout, and Tim's hockey chauffeur from age 6 through 17, to rinks from DC to Ottawa. When he had time to himself, his enjoyed tinkering with cars. In 1996, Susan lost a long, valiant battle with breast cancer. Two tough years later, the same Princeton friend introduced Joe to his cousin, Laura Triest. Joe relocated to Annapolis when they married in 1998, and welcomed a daughter, Natalie, in 2004. Annapolis presented a whole new world of vehicular toys as Joe added a 37-foot Endeavor sailboat to his collection. He was a member of the Annapolis Yacht Club, and he earned a U.S. Coast Guard captain's license, but was never put to the test. Happiness was time spent on the water with family and friends. Tremendous pleasure was also found in nurturing midshipmen, all of whom have become family. Joe was a brilliant, selfless man who dedicated his life to his family and the betterment of communications throughout the world. He is survived by his wife Laura, sons Joe and Tim, daughter Natalie, 4 grandchildren, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. In lieu of flowers, Joe would want donations sent to Veterans' organizations. A Celebration of Joe's life will take place at noon, June 18th, at home.