With his quiet courage and never-ending determination, the consummate competitor, Wilbur Forrester Wood, Jr., lost his last battle and passed away on January 17, 2026, surrounded by his loving family.

He is survived by his wife, Jan (Cassidy) Wood of Bedford, MA; his children, Wendy Yang (Jong) of Portsmouth, NH, Derron Wood of New London, CT, and Christen Dolloff (Frank) of Bristol, NH; his grandchildren, Haley, Hanna, and Sarah Yang; Hayden and Adeline Dolloff; his brother, James Wood of Waltham, MA; his nephews Jeffrey and Gary. He is predeceased by his sister-in-law, Carol Wood, and niece, Karen Kelly.

Born on October 22, 1941, Wilbur was the eldest child of Wilbur Sr. and Svea Wood of Belmont, Massachusetts. He grew up and developed his skills on the baseball and football fields and hockey rink of Belmont. Upon high school graduation in 1960, Wilbur signed with the Boston Red Sox launching his professional baseball career, which spanned 18 years. It was with the Chicago White Sox where he honed his signature pitch and showed the world the mysterious power and beauty of the knuckleball. In 1972, he started 49 games and pitched 376 ⅔ innings, records that still stand and will likely never be broken. He was a three-time All-Star, won 20 or more games four years in a row, and led the American League in victories twice.  After his baseball career, Wilbur owned and operated Meister's Fish Market in Belmont before his next career in pharmaceutical sales.

Teammates and baseball writers throughout his career described Wilbur as soft-spoken, unassuming, and unbothered by praise or blame… "Wood went about his business as if pitching 300 innings was no more remarkable than showing up on time." … "He'd pitch today, tomorrow, whenever you wanted." … "A workhorse" … "Nothing bothered him." … "He was the same guy after a win or a loss."

Wilbur enjoyed his independence, was calm under pressure, and he dove into his passions of baseball, fishing, golf, and gardening. He was happiest in his garden tending to his beloved tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, onions, peppers, squash and zinnias. Nothing brought him more joy than sharing his tomatoes with family and friends, including his mailman and his friend at Bedford Florist.

Wilbur, Woody, Butch, Knucks, Dad, Bubba will be missed. He will be remembered happily working in his yard with Jan, driving his truck to visit Gary, and watching sports in his favorite chair, along the way always planning his next garden, counting squirrels, and recounting practical jokes.

His family would like to express their appreciation to the entire team at Lahey Hospital in Burlington, especially the oncologists and the caregivers on 7W22.

A celebration of his life will be held later in the spring, during planting season.

If you'd like to make a contribution in his memory, The Jimmy Fund/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute , PO Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284, was the charity closest to Wilbur's heart.