James (Jim) Wood, a prominent former Bedford resident, community leader and preservation advocate whose family has lived in the area for over 200 years, died Sunday, Aug. 11. He was 97.
Wood was born May 2, 1927, in Mount Kisco, the only child of Martha Speakman Wood and L. Hollingsworth Wood. He grew up on the family farm, Braewold, in Bedford, attending local schools and Deerfield Academy. He then joined the United States Naval Reserve in 1945-46 before attending Haverford College in Pennsylvania, graduating in 1950.
Wood took graduate courses at New York University and the University of Michigan while working at the Bank of New York for 28 years, and at Prescott, Ball and Turben, and Smith Barney until 2002 when he retired. During this time, he served on the boards of Bryn Mawr and Haverford College, the American Bible Society (of which he was president for 10 years), the Kellogg Foundation, and many other organizations.
Wood married Frances “Twink” Randall in 1953. In 2005 they sold Braewold Farm and moved to the Kendal on Hudson retirement community in Sleepy Hollow, where they were founding residents. The move enabled them to spend extended periods of time with their daughter Emily’s family in New Zealand and with their son Steve’s family in Montana. They celebrated their 70th anniversary just before Twink Wood died May 29, 2023.
Wood is survived by his daughter Emily (Anders) Crofoot of Castlepoint Station, New Zealand, and son, Stephen H. Wood (Jenny) of Sheridan, Montana, nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
In 2023 he became a resident of Montana, where he lived with Steve and Jenny Wood until his death. A service was scheduled to be held in Montana and available via Zoom on Friday, Aug. 16, at 4 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time.
‘Larger than life’
Friends and admirers shared their remembrances of Jim Wood with The Recorder.
Bedford Town Historian John Stockbridge described Jim Wood as “a living legend for Bedford.”
“For all of his 97 years he was a proponent of the preservation of our town and our county’s history and character,” said Stockbridge. “As president of the Farmers Club, and board member of the Westchester County Historical Society, the Bedford Hills Historical Museum, Bedford Hills Library, and anchor of the historic Woodpile properties, Jim was always a central presence for preservation. Jim and Twink were Quakers, farmers and sharers in the most generous way. He already is missed.”
Elin Peterson, a trustee and former president of the Bedford Hills Historical Museum, said, “I think it would be nearly impossible to come up with anyone who lived life more fully and richly than Jim Wood and with such enthusiasm, boundless energy and joy. He was a fortunate man, indeed — in his marriage, in his family, and in his friends. I can personally attest to his ability to make everyone with whom he engaged feel somehow special. A favorite saying of his was, ‘You can never have too many friends!’ And certainly Jim and Twink’s famous annual rhododendrons and ice cream parties were a testament to that credo. I, along with so many others in the Bedford community and well beyond, will miss him greatly.”
Bedford Hills Historical Museum president, Ellen Cohen, related how she first met Wood at the hamlet’s 2010 centennial. She said he and his wife gifted their collection of rare 19th century maps to the museum, and they have become a staple of the collection. “Jim regaled us with stories about serving in the military at the end of World War II when we had our ‘Bedford Hills at War’ exhibit, and even loaned us his Navy uniform, which we have on display,” she said.
Said Roger Vincent, treasurer of the Bedford Farmers Club, “Jim’s passing truly marks the end of an era in our community. Starting with Jim’s great-great grandparents, the Wood family began farming in Bedford in 1809. Descendants down through Jim and Twink’s children continued on the family farm for 200 years — a heritage not likely to be equaled.”
Vincent continued, “Community service was an enduring thread reflective of the Wood family’s strong Quaker faith. Jim’s grandfather, James Wood II, served as supervisor of the town of Bedford during the Civil War and designed the town’s seal. Jim carried on with great flair the Wood family’s dual legacies of love of the land and community service. He was widely and highly respected for his energy, wisdom and philanthropy devoted to many organizations in our community.”
“Jim will be sorely missed,” said Vincent, “however the powerful example he set for values to live by will endure.”
In addition to the Bedford Farmers Club, which his grandfather started in 1852, Wood was also involved with the Mount Kisco Child Care Center, Cisqua School, Teatown Lake Reservation, Bedford 2030, and the Lions Club. His family said he was also devoted to the running and upkeep of the Croton Valley Friends (Quaker) Meeting House. In 2004, Jim and Twink Wood were honored as Mount Kisco Citizens of the Year.
Current Bedford Farmers Club president, Mary Farley, said, “Jim Wood was our own Pied Piper. His consistent charm, good humor and optimism were contagious and he could beguile anyone to follow him anywhere. Not only did I follow him into the Bedford Farmers Club, when we discovered we both dreamed of going to Vietnam, he said, ‘Let’s go!’ and I followed him there, too. At 89 and without Twink — and pick-pocketed on the first day — he inspired our decades-younger travel companions with his curiosity, energy and positivity.” Farley added he transformed the Farmers Club to reflect modern concerns. “Jim’s involvement with many community organizations attracted others to serve as well,” she said. “I am proud to have known him and his example led us all to be better people.”
Longtime family friend Anne Niemann called Wood “larger than life,” saying he was “known by legions around Mount Kisco and Bedford and far beyond.”
“He was legendary for his exuberant, seemingly limitless energy,” said Niemann, “traveling the world, playing tennis, jumping out of a plane at 85 years old and, most of all, that ‘booming’ voice that never dimmed even at 97.” She said an encounter with Wood, whether spontaneous or planned, “simply made your day.”
Niemann said he was adored, respected, admired and enormously loved, and he “never lost sight of or respect for the five generations of Woods who came before him on Croton Lake and Wood roads. They were civic-minded, industrious, hard-working, faith-filled people. Jim and his family continued to uphold all those virtues.”
“Jim didn’t cave to the suburban, country club life,” added Niemann. “On weekends he would trade his NYC banker’s suit and tie for overalls and a tractor, farming the land, haying the fields, and, in fact, he might miss dinner while busy delivering calves and lambs out in the barn. The Quaker faith tradition of his ancestors remained a strong and central part of their lives. Many a Sunday, with us kids on horseback, we would ride to the Quaker Meetinghouse for services.”
Niemann concluded, “He was a beacon of joy and love and a gift to the world. He was truly an unforgettable human being. I am happy for him that he and his beloved Twink are reunited again.”