Harriet Wood

WOOD, HARRIET ELLIS RICE Harriet Ellis Rice Wood, 95, of Madison, formerly of Clinton, passed away peacefully on Friday, December 6, 2013 at Middlesex Hospital Hospice. Harriet was born on June 27, 1918 in Marlborough, MA. She was the daughter of the late John Edward Rice and the late Helen Bullard Ellis Rice. She was predeceased by her husband Joe F. Wood, Jr., brother John, and sisters Helen, Virginia, Constance, and Shirley. She is survived by her sons David Wood and wife Cyndi of Milford, PA, Richard Wood and his wife Peggy of Juneau, AK, Jonathan Wood and his wife Susan of Madison, CT, and her daughter Carol Wood of Hermosa Beach, CA. She is also survived by her four grandsons, Kenneth, Daniel, Alexander, and Evan, and two great-grandsons, Thomas and James. As a child Harriet enjoyed many summers at Camp Wahtona on Cape Cod. She graduated from Wheelock College, and married Joe in 1941. They traveled extensively because of his career as a baseball pitcher in the minor leagues. They lived in Louisville, KY, San Diego, CA, and Sacramento, CA. They settled in Shohola, PA where Harriet and Joe operated a mink ranch while raising their 4 children. In 1959 they moved the ranch to Clinton, CT, where they lived for 44 years. They enjoyed boating on Long Island Sound and spending time with their family. After Joe died, Harriet moved to the Hearth at Tuxis pond in Madison, CT where she resided for 10 years. Harriet will be fondly remembered for her extraordinarily sweet, happy, upbeat personality, and her deep love of family. Burial ceremony will be private, in Sholola, PA. Donations in her memory may be made to the Hospice and Palliative Care Program at Middlesex Hospital, Office of Philanthropy, 28 Crescent Street, Middletown, CT 06457, or to the Alzheimer’s Association.