Dr. Matthew Thomas Wood

1932 - 2022

Dr. Matthew Thomas Wood
January 9, 1932 - November 1, 2022
Chapel Hill, North Carolina - Dr. Matthew Thomas Wood, 90, passed away after a courageous battle with Alzheimer's. Matt was born in Enfield, N.C. on January 9, 1932. His father died when he was eight years old, and his two brothers were a lot older, so Matt could be pretty mischievous. He belonged to a secret club called the Red Rubies. Initiation was to jump into a freshly dug grave at night and wait until the other members came to help you out. They climbed the water tank in Enfield to go swimming, almost falling off when a flock of birds flew away and scared them. He swam in the swamps, seeing the occasional snake. He and a buddy took a gas mask, a garden hose, and a bicycle pump to the swamp and tried scuba diving. It didn't work! When Matt was 10 years old, he hitchhiked to Rocky Mount, flew on a small plane, and hitchhiked back home. His mother never had a clue.
Matt excelled in all three sports in high school, and was quite the athlete. Upon graduation, he attended Mars Hill College (now University) for one year at his mother's request. She thought it would straighten him out a bit, and it did. He loved his year there, making many lifelong friends.
He spent his next three years in undergrad at UNC-CH, majoring in chemistry. He played football for two years, and then decided to quit after his junior year. He'd had so many concussions over the years, he realized he was walking around in a brain fog. He figured if he wanted to go to dental school, he'd better stop playing.
Matt graduated from UNC in 1954 and the UNC Adams School of Dentistry in 1958. He joined the school's faculty as an instructor in the Department of Removable Prosthodontics following his graduation. In 1966, he resigned to pursue his master's degree in prosthodontics, which he completed in 1968 prior to rejoining the faculty. Matt served as chair of the department from 1976-1988, during which time he established the maxillofacial prosthetics service at UNC. He retired from his full-time position at the school in December 1994, and remained an adjunct professor for an additional 16 years.
During his tenure at UNC, Matt implemented an innovative television-assisted approach to complete denture clinical instruction, which continues to evolve with technology and be used today. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the school's summer community service rotation site at the Cherokee Indian Hospital. His innovation and dedication to the school and students was honored in 1985 when he was named the recipient of the Richard F. Hunt Award for Excellence in Teaching, and again in 2009 with a Certificate of Educational Excellence for Teaching presented by the Department of Prosthodontics.
While at the University, Matt also held external appointments at UNC Hospitals and at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Durham. Additionally, he served 20 years in the U.S. Naval Reserve, retiring in 1975 as a commander.
A leader in the UNC Dental Alumni Association (UNCDAA), Matt served on the board for a number of years and as president from 1969-70. He was later honored with the UNCDAA Distinguished Service Award in 1992, and in 2008 was given the same award by the Dental Foundation of North Carolina. He also held memberships in several professional organizations, including the American Dental Association, the International College of Dentists, The American Prosthodontic Society, The American College of Prosthodontics and the Southeastern Academy of Prosthodontics. He served as president of the Southeastern Academy of Prosthodontics in 1997. In 2012, Matt received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the North Carolina Section of the American College of Prosthodontics. He was also a member of Delta Sigma Delta and served as international president in 1982-83.
Matt was also the team dentist with sports medicine while on the faculty at UNC, working with Dr. Joe DeWalt and Dr. Tim Taft. He saw every athlete who had a problem, from toothaches to having a tooth knocked out during a game. Many-a-weekend Mark Davis or Dan Hooker, trainers at the time for basketball and football, would call Matt with a problem.
Matt coached little league in Chapel Hill for many years, never losing a game. He taught Sunday school at University Methodist Church, and he was heavily involved with the Boy Scouts, Troop 39. He was Father of the Year for two years in a row in Chapel Hill. He was a great dad, and loved his sons very much.
Matt was an avid tennis player and sailor. He owned three different sailboats in his lifetime, the last one bought on his and Lorrie's sixth wedding anniversary, naming her the Anna Lorrie. Lorrie thinks he thought that could make up for her getting a sailboat on her wedding anniversary. He sailed everywhere from Elizabeth City to Bald Head Island, and chartered many trips with his buddies, all through the Caribbean. Nothing made him happier than being on the water.
Matt was predeceased by his parents, Raymond and Carrie Wood, brothers Dr. Sherrod Wood and Raymond Wood, his son Tappan Wood, and his sister-in-law Hulda Wood.
He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Lorrie Wood of the home, sons Matt, Jr. (Katherine) and Bryan (Michelle), and three grandchildren. Also surviving are his nephew Turner and his two nieces, Valerie and Amy Lou, whose compassion and care have been a great comfort to Matt and Lorrie.
The excellent care Matt received at the SECU Jim and Betsy Bryan Care Home in Pittsboro is greatly appreciated. And a special thank you to his many caregivers, in particular, Jamie Lantz and Brenda Jackson.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, December 3, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at the George Watts Hill Alumni Center.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Matthew T. Wood Faculty Endowment Fund and mailed to: Dental Foundation of N.C., UNC-CH Adams School of Dentistry, Campus Box 7450, Chapel Hill, NC 27599.
Cremation arrangements are being handled by Walker's Funeral Home in Chapel Hill.
It's been said that Matt's incomparable syntax was a marvelous cross between George Bernard Shaw and Yogi Berra, with a dash of Will Rogers and Mark Twain thrown in. Everyone who knew him felt blessed.