When the authorities and members of the Radnor Fire Company learned of the demise of Donald A. Wood, who had previously served as Fire Chief and was an Honorary Active Member of the organization, they were unable to find any degree of comfort in the news. Donald A. Wood had been a member of the organization for many years. The fourteenth of March, 2024, which was a Thursday, was the day when Don died away until the end of his life.
We called him “Woody” when he joined RFC in 1953 as a “School Boy Fireman.
” We referred to him as like that. When we met him, he was still a student at Radnor High School, which was located just next to our station at the time. At this moment, he had already joined the group back when it was first formed. During his 62 years of active duty, Don served the Company in a variety of capacities, including serving as Chairman of the Ambulance Committee, Manager of Emergency Medical Services, Treasurer, Safety Officer, Second and Third Assistant Chief, and Fire Chief on three consecutive occasions. He also served as the Company’s Treasurer.
It was also during this period that he held the position of Fire Chief for the Company. Additionally, during the course of his career in that position, Don served as the Fire Marshall for Radnor Township for a total of twenty-two years across the entirety of his term. The fact that Don served as a teacher at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland, for a total of thirty-two years is probably one of the most noteworthy accomplishments that he has accomplished in the field of firefighting.
While Don was attending Lehigh University to study electrical engineering, he had a realization that teaching was his actual calling.
He decided to pursue a career in education. This realization occurred to him while he was in that location. After finishing his undergraduate studies at Lehigh University, where he had previously obtained his bachelor’s degree, Don furthered his education by obtaining a master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania. After that, he started a career that would run for thirty years, and he became a Physics teacher at Radnor High School beginning those thirty years. The enthusiasm that Mr. Wood had for teaching, as well as his calm manner when it came to ensuring that his students understood the knowledge that he shared with them, will be remembered by anyone who had the opportunity to learn from him while he was in the classroom.
Those who will carry on his legacy include his devoted wife Nancy, his four children Barbara, David, Susan, and Connie, as well as a large number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His legacy will be carried on by those who are surviving him. Several of these people will have the responsibility of carrying on his legacy.
We are all going to miss you very much, Don, and we are going to miss you very much. Starting from this point forward, we will be responsible for taking care of everything. I pray that God will offer you eternal rest. The viewing and funeral services for Chief Wood are slated to take place on Thursday, March 21.
The occasion will take place at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Devon, which will serve as the location for the memorial ceremony. Visitation will begin at ten o’clock in the morning, and the service will begin at eleven o’clock in the morning. Both events will take place following the visitation.
