Michael B. Wood

After a full day of gardening with his wife, Mike Wood died on April 2, 2021, suddenly and serenely under a spring sky full of birds, serenaded by peepers, at his home in Deer Isle, Maine, after a very full life.

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Michael Bradley Wood was born on February 18, 1952, in Worcester, Mass., to Louise Lewis and Osgood Bradley Wood. The third of four children, he arrived three minutes before his twin brother Robert, making him the elder and therefore the wiser of the two, as he never let Rob forget. He first demonstrated his penchant for using car bumpers fully and frequently at the age of three when he crawled into the family car and released the emergency break.

Mike graduated from Williams College in 1974 with a B.A. in history and art history. He earned his teacher’s certificate from the University of Maine in 1976. He was launched into his lifelong career as an educator with a reference from his professor at Williams College, stating that Mike “was not a great student, but he is an enormously decent person.” Similarly, every one of his references for his initial position at Deer Isle-Stonington High School gave him above-average marks in all categories, except for his personal appearance. It was, in part, Mike’s imperfections that made him an exceptional teacher in and out of the classroom. Mike was undeniably and unapologetically himself, rarely spotted in a pair of clean pants without holes in his pockets, but always with a moment to spare and a sparkle in his eye.