Virginia Lee Wood

HANOVER, N.H. – Virginia Lee Wood died Sept. 12, 2019, at the age of 93. She was born in Augusta on Sept. 8, 1926 to Bernice M. Lee and Edwin Lee, Sr.

She graduated from Cony High School in the Class of 1944. In September of ’44 she entered the College of Nursing as a cadet nurse at Syracuse University of New York and graduated on Sept. 6, 1947. She had been Vice President of student government in her junior year and was elected to President for her senior year.

As a registered nurse she worked for six months at Augusta General Hospital, then left to marry Raymond L. Wood, a WWII Navy Veteran from Fort Edward, N.Y. They moved to Tupper Lake, N.Y. where Virginia worked at the Veterans Hospital “Sunmount,” where Ray was a medical patient for a year.

They left New York and went to live in Augusta for the next 12 years. Ray entered the fire department there and their three children were born at Augusta General. In 1962, the family moved to Hanover, N.H. where Ray became fire chief and Virginia was nurse for the Follow Through Headstart Program in the Lebanon, N.H. school district for seven years.

She was predeceased by Raymond in 2005 after a loving marriage of 58 years. Survivors include children, Barry Wood and wife Lauren of Norwich, Vt., Rayanne Blank of West Lebanon, N.H., and Sandra Balch and husband Russell of Lyme, N.H.; eight grandchildren, Megan Schenck and husband Mike of San Rafael, Calif., Tina Hebb and husband Tim of Thetford Center, Vt., Raymond Balch and wife Angela of Nashua, N.H., Lt. Colonel Cristopher Wood and wife Stephanie of Bossier City, La., Sarah Green and husband Tony of Falls Church, Va., Heather Balch and Adam Chandler of Enfield, N.H., Justin Balch and wife Desiree of New Boston, N.H. and Signe Caddell-Wood of Norwich, Vt. Virginia also leaves nine great-grandchildren, Dominic Schenck, Anna and Cooper Hebb, Jack and Clara Balch, Tyler and Austin Wood, and Miles and Niko Green; brother, Edwin C. Lee, Jr. of Thomaston, brother-in-law, Howard Wood of Bennington, Vt.; nieces, Alicia Nassivera, Tana Smith, and Olivia Snyder of New York State and nephew Jeffrey Lee of Portland, and Kevin Wood of Kingston, N.Y.

Virginia requested that there not be a funeral or calling hours. The New Hampshire Cremation Society will make arrangements and burial will be in Highland Cemetery in Lyme, N.H.

At her request, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to:

Claremont Soup Kitchen

in Claremont, N.H. or:

The Haven in Hartford, Vt.