Nancy Wood said goodbye to family and friends on June 10, 2025.
Born on April 14, 1928, in Fall River, she was the daughter of Leroy and Ruth Wood. Nancy grew up in Tiverton, R.I., where she spent an idyllic childhood sailing and racing boats around Narragansett Bay. In 1922, her grandfather, T. Elton Wood, had designed a 12-foot, 6-inch wooden cat-rigged boat named the Candy Class for young people to sail. Many of these boats were built, all named after candies. They raced at various yacht clubs around the bay, and every Sunday in Tiverton.
Nancy spoke with pride about her time as a Girl Scout during World War II, volunteering as an airplane spotter, identifying foreign planes that flew over the area.
Nancy graduated from Durfee High School in Fall River in 1946. Before beginning college, she spent the summer working at the Tashmoo Inn in Vineyard Haven on Martha’s Vineyard, and fell in love with the Island.
After graduating from Bryant University in Providence, R.I., Nancy worked as a legal secretary until she married William Bates of Rutherford, N.J., a Navy pilot and recent Yale graduate. They married on May 27, 1950, and settled in Westfield, N.J.. Nancy always considered raising their six daughters her proudest achievement.
In the early ’60s, the Bates family moved to Sparta, N.J. They became part of the Lake Mohawk community, where Nancy was a Girl Scout leader and member of a theater group. The family enjoyed summer vacations in Menemsha.
When Nancy and Bill divorced, Nancy and the children moved to the Vineyard year-round. In 1967, Nancy married James Tripp, who was then principal of the Edgartown School. When his children, Jim, Pamela, Nancy, Brenda, and Lesley, joined the family, there were 10 girls, one boy, a dog, and three cats living in their home on School Street in Edgartown. During those years, Nancy belonged to Mary Payne’s Island Theatre Workshop, and was a member of the Federated Church in Edgartown.
In 1972, the family moved to Berlin, Vt., where Nancy worked for the National Life Group for 22 years, becoming director of employment. During those years, she was secretary of the Vermont Personnel Association, a member of the Berlin planning board, and a guardian ad litem for the Vermont Family Court, where she advocated for children who were involved in court cases. After retiring, Nancy served as a popular substitute teacher in the local schools.
In 2013, Nancy returned to year-round life on the Vineyard, where she loved visits from her grandchildren, relatives, and friends, and continued her passions of traveling and gardening. She was an active member of the Unitarian Church, and she particularly enjoyed participating in Cynthia Riggs’ Wednesday Writers group. There was never a time when there weren’t cats or dogs in her home, and Nancy enjoyed the comfort of her Maine coon cat, Bernie, to the end.
Nancy was known as a generous and thoughtful friend to many, of all generations. A creative gardener and decorator, she loved welcoming people to her home.
Nancy was thrilled to see her novel, “The Brass Ring,” published shortly before she died. The book is based on her experience working on the Vineyard after high school.
Nancy was predeceased by her husband, Jim; daughters Susan Bates, Sally Bates, Janet Bates, and Lesley Tripp; and grandson Kevin Walsh. Nancy is survived by daughters Sandra Wood, Jennifer Bates, and Jill Gardner; as well as by eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be held at the Unitarian Church in Vineyard Haven on July 19 at 2 pm.
Please consider a donation to the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard, P.O. Box 1829, Edgartown, MA 02539, in lieu of flowers.