Hon. Harold L. Wood: New York Trailblazer

Hon. Harold L. Wood, a longtime resident of Somers, N.Y. who passed away in Florida on April 14, 2016, was born in Bridgeport, Conn. to Harriet Wood Bannister and James Wood. He was 96 years old.

After graduating from Ossining High School in 1937, and working his way through college at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, WWII took Harold in another direction. He served as a sergeant in the Army Air Corps at Tuskegee in Alabama. In 1942, he married Thelma Cheatham, his wife of 65 years.

A graduate of Cornell Law School and recipient of a Masters in Law from NYU, as an African-American he served as president of the NAACP, and went on to accomplish many firsts: elected to Westchester County Board of Supervisors, elected to Mt. Vernon City Common Council, became a Westchester Supervisor, became a Westchester Family Court Judge, served as a County Court Judge. Eventually he became a Supreme Court Judge.

Although retired from the bench in 1996, Harold continued his love of sailing as a member of the Harlem Yacht Club, and enthusiasm for sports by playing tennis.

He will be remembered as a devoted husband, father, brother, grandfather, and uncle. He is survived by three children, Gregory Lance Wood, LaVerne, Jill Wood, and Dean Christopher Wood; three grandchildren, Natasha, Michael, and Lauren and numerous nieces and nephews.

Visiting hours will be held on Monday, 2-4 and 7-9 pm at Dorsey Funeral Home, 14 Emwilton Pl., in Ossining. Services will be held on Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the Antioch Baptist Church, 3 Church St., Bedford Hills, NY 10507, 914- 241-0189. The interment will follow immediately at Dale Cemetery in Ossining.