Sam was the oldest of 4 children born to Samuel C. Wood, Sr. of Boston, MA and Hilda Camilla (Rogers) Wood of GA. He had twin siblings Judy & John, 15 months younger than him, and a younger brother Barry. He is survived by his brother John of The Colony, TX.
Sam was in the United States Air Force for 8 years. During a tour of duty, while stationed in Alaska on the Aleutian Island Chain, at Galena Air Force Base, 5 Jet miles from Russia, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, October 16 - 28, 1962, his skills were needed and put into operation. He was not a combat soldier but worked in the office, as he could type. His Unit needed someone who knew Morse Code and could type. Sam said he could type and knew Morse Code. They wanted to overlook him because he was a black man, but because there was no one else on his base with these qualifications, they had to use him. Because of his skills, he received Top Security Clearance and was able to intercept Morse Code from Russia. He was able to decipher the real messages from the counterfeit messages.
When I met Sam, Woody as he was called by his friends and his Singing group The Lords, he was finishing up his 8th year of duty with the United States Air Force, and was stationed at Hanscom Field, Bedford, MA. We met at the Brown Derby Nightclub in Boston in 1966 where he was performing with his singing grout The 9 Lords. He liked to tell the story of how we met. I was out in the audience with my friend Patsy who is here today. He spotted me from the stage, and was determined to meet me during the break. He immediately went over to me, sat down and started talking to me. It wasn’t long before he said “I’m going to marry you one day.” What a line. But he was sincere in his declaration. Three years later we married on September 27, 1969. We would have celebrated our Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary this coming September 27th, but God had a much better plan, and that was to bring him home and out of his suffering and into His presence. Truly a far better place. He is celebrating in His presence where there of fullness of joy. And I am so happy for him.
When I dedicated my life to the Lord in 1978, Sam did so too a couple of years later. He went to Bible School at Bethel Bible Institute, Boston, MA, and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary’s Center for Ministerial Education, Boston, MA. He also went into Public Health and was a Unit Manager in the Pediatric Department of Boston City Hospital. Later he worked for the City of Boston Inspectional Services Department where he was Director of the Rodent Control Program. During that time members of his staff became interested in his relationship with the Lord and showed a desire to get to know our Lord. Out of his ministry to them, our church was birthed by the same name, this time he was truly the Lord’s vessel and our ministry/church was The Lord’s Family Ministries.
Sam was very involved in helping the communities around Boston and anyone who sought his help - colleagues, friends, family and strangers.. He was also Co-Founder of Boston’s Tenpoint Coalition which took him all the way to the Clinton White House.
Sam and I were blessed to have a beautiful, loving, supportive, daughter Jordan who was born to us one month before our Thirteenth Anniversary. One year before conception God gave me a dream and showed me a baby girl in the palm of His hand and He said her name is Jordan. Jordan was Sam’s love and delight. He nicknamed her Pooky Bear and years later shortened her nickname to Pook. He held to that name to the end. Sam and I were so blessed when Jordan met Nicholas Wilson, the love of her life and father of their 4 beautiful children. Sam loved playing with our grandchildren and deliberately made memories with them. He even got to spend some very precious quality time with his namesake Baby Woody. Nicholas blessed Sam beyond belief by naming their last child Woodrow Timothy Wilson so that he could be called Woody, the same nickname as his Papa.
Sam has lived an amazingly rich life and touched a lot of lives in his four vocations of Military Man in the United States Air Force, an Entertainer/Singer of the Lord’s, formerly known as the Nine Lords, a Public Servant for the City of Boston, and a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the only man I know with these four vocational careers and has done all of them well.
I salute you Hon. I will always miss your presence, but I am happy you are with your Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. God bless you, till we meet again.
Dr. Marsha H Wood ( Wife)
