Richard D. Wood passed away on December 22, 2025, in Grafton, Wisconsin, where he was a resident at Village Pointe Commons. He was 96 years old. He was born on July 24, 1929, in Independence, Iowa to parents Ward and Lulu (nee Robison) Wood.

Richard grew up in Rochelle, IL and graduated from Rochelle High School. He attended Iowa State University, where he was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity. He met his future wife, Darlene Stanek, another Iowa State University student. They were wed in Fort Dodge, IA in 1952.

After graduating from Iowa State, he joined the Marine Corps and was stationed in California for two years during the Korean War as part of the Marine Air Support Squadron, MTACS. He returned to Illinois and began working for Del Monte Corporation and General Electric. He and his wife had two children and raised them in DeKalb. In 1980, Richard and Darlene moved to Cedarburg, WI, where they would continue to live until they moved into assisted living in Grafton, WI in 2019.

For much of his working life he was a purchasing manager for various manufacturing facilities, including General Electric in DeKalb and Amerace Corporation in Grafton, WI.

He was a founding member of the Kishwaukee Family YMCA, a member of Jaycees, the VFW, DeKalb School Board and a member of the Common Council of Cedarburg, WI. He was involved in Scouting for many years, including as a Scoutmaster in DeKalb. After retiring, he volunteered at the Cedarburg Cultural Center.

Richard is survived by his sons David (Sharry) of Key West and Seattle, and Darrel (Armando) of Chicago, his sister-in-law Anna Mae Wood, niece Cindy, nephew Brent and grandchildren Peter, Katherine, Michael and Thomas.

Richard was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Darlene, his brother Wayne and nephew Gary.

Per Richard's wishes, there will be no services held.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the staff at Village Pointe Commons and Legacy Hospice for their care and compassion.