John Gilliam Wood, III

    John Gilliam Wood, III of Edenton died peacefully on Tuesday, December 1, 2015 in his home.

   Born in Little Silver, New Jersey on August 13, 1925, he was delivered by his grandfather, Dr. O. W. Budlong, and was a lifelong resident of Edenton. The son of the late Leila Budlong Wood and John Gilliam Wood, he attended school in Edenton, Virginia Episcopal School, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a member of Zeta Psi fraternity and Order of Gimghoul. A graduate of Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, he was an Army veteran of World War II, serving in the European theatre as a Second Lieutenant under General George Patton.

   After the war he returned to an active business and civic career in Edenton, serving as Director and President of the Edenton Cotton Mill, Director and President of the Bank of Edenton, and President of Home Feed and Fertilizer Company. He was a Director and member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Peoples Bank, later Centura Bank and RBC Bank, faithfully driving to meetings in Rocky Mount for 37 years. He was a member of the Edenton Junior Chamber of Commerce, was a recipient of its Distinguished Service Award, the Jaycee’s Outstanding Young Farmer Award, and Chairman of the Industrial Committee, recruiting major industries to his farming community. A life-long member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, he served as a Sunday School teacher and Senior Warden of the Vestry. Mr. Wood was Chairman of the Chowan Hospital Board and first Chairman of the Chowan Hospital Foundation Board, a member of the Chowan County Board of Commissioners, served on the North Carolina State Highway Commission, and was Chairman of the North Carolina Board of Natural Resources and Community Development. In later years he was a member of the North Caroliniana Society, and through his family's gift of the Hayes Library, a lifetime member of Friends of the Library of UNC. He was a member of the College of the Albemarle Foundation, and served two terms as Trustee of Elizabeth City State University. He served as President of the Edenton Rotary Club and as Chairman of the Edenton Historical Commission.

   Ever the consummate Southern gentleman he will be remembered for his kindness and unfailing attention to all who sought his help and advice. He is best remembered as a loving husband, father and extraordinary grandfather. Hunting and fishing were lifelong passions, and he enjoyed many summers at the family cottages at Nags Head and Hatteras. An avid Carolina basketball and football fan, he was the founder of Skinner's Point Fish Club and was the author of “Remembrances of John Gilliam Wood”.

   Survivors include his wife, Annette Fairless Wood; daughter, Heide Seward and husband Bernard Seward of Annandale, VA; sons, John Gilliam Wood IV and wife Susan Hemingway Wood and Edward Wadsworth Wood, all of Edenton; and grandchildren, John Gilliam Wood V of Edenton, Caroline Gilliam Wood of Wilmington, George Christian Wood of Edenton and Anna Katherine Wood of Wilmington. Also surviving are a sister, Mrs. Trent Ragland (Anna) of Raleigh; a nephew, Trent Ragland of Raleigh; and nieces, Anna Wood Hayes of Chapel Hill and Alice Ragland of Raleigh.

   A funeral service will be held Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Interment will be at the Hayes graveyard. The Rev. J. Malone Gilliam will officiate.

   Memorial gifts may be made to the Edenton Historical Commission, 505 S. Broad Street, or to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 548, both in Edenton, NC 27932; or to the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at UNC-CH, making your check payable to UNC-Chapel Hill, P.O. Box 309, Chapel Hill, NC 27514-0309, and noting Lineberger Cancer Center on the memo line of the check.

   Miller Funeral Home & Crematory, 735 Virginia Road, Edenton is assisting the family with arrangements and online condolences may be made by visiting their website, www.millerfhc.com.