Hal Wood (aka Woodie, Doc Wood, Wood, Babe, Daddy, Papa) died on November 12, 2021 in Kern County, California at the age of 68, as the result of a small airplane crash. Hal was born on March 24, 1953 in Wayzata, Minnesota. His parents were Dwight Gray Wood, a Minnesota native and World War II veteran, and Irma Virginia Peacock, a native of Washington state. Hal’s childhood was spent in Mound, Minnesota, getting into various shenanigans, some of which he embarked on alone (like jumping repeatedly off the roof of his home at age five to “get it just right”), while other adventures were undertaken with friends and his older brother, Don. Perhaps these adventures were an early sign of his future role in the Navy.

Hal attended Mound High School, where he excelled in wrestling, high hurdles, and football. After graduating in 1972, Hal enlisted in the Navy, but only after being assured that he could apply for the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) school. His enlistment in the Navy brought him from snowy Minnesota to sunny California. He completed his training with the SEALs in Coronado, graduating with Class 73 of the same year and serving with SEAL Team ONE. Shortly after, Hal met his future wife, and love of his life, Marjo, on Coronado Island. It should come as no surprise to those close to Hal and Marjo that their first encounter resulted in a heated argument about various things, including but not limited to, who would be buying ice cream for the other. Hal also came to faith during his first year with the SEALs, putting his hope for this life and the next in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Hal and Marjo were married on November 8, 1975, and they spent the next 46 years happily married.

Hal served with the Navy SEALs from January 1973 - August 1978, and his service took him to many locations, from Korea and the Philippines, to the deserts of California, during which “Doc” Wood had the pleasure and honor of patching up his friends and fellow SEALs as their corpsman. After years of service, Hal decided to leave the Navy SEALs in August 1978.

After running his own farrier/horseshoeing business for a time, Hal began his career at Southern California Edison, where he spent the next 33 years. At Edison, Hal held a number of roles over time, such as plant operator, quality assurance technician, and health physics supervisor, to name a few. His career at Edison gave him the opportunity to travel throughout the country, visiting nuclear power plants for evaluation. While at Edison, Hal would go on to earn his Bachelor’s of Science as well as his MBA. 

However, while you can take a man out of the Navy SEALs, you can’t truly take the Navy SEAL out of the man. For the rest of his life, Hal pursued a wide variety of interests that kept things interesting for himself as well as his family: bodybuilding, horseback and dirtbike riding, surfing, roller blading, skiing, rock climbing, free diving, spearfishing and playing the bass guitar to name a few. Additionally, he achieved blue belt status in Brazilian jiu jitsu, and became a certified instructor of Krav Maga. In the last five years, Hal reconnected with his early love of swimming and, in addition to his normal swim routine, he participated in the Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim in 2017. However, aviation was Hal’s longest-held passion. Hal became licensed to fly gliders/sailplanes in the 1990s and, after his retirement from Southern California Edison, he also became licensed to fly a single-engine Zenith airplane that he’d been obsessed with for decades. 

Hal is survived by his wife Marjo Wood; his children Aaron Wood (Miranda) and Nicole Escarra (Matthew); his grandchildren Elijah Escarra, Evelyn Escarra, and Isaac Wood; his brother Don Wood (Dana); his nieces Natalie Soulek (Sam) and Reana Brenes (Tony); his nephews Josh Wood (Deana), Luke Wood, and Justin DeMaine; he is also survived by his beloved mastiff, Samson (man’s best friend). He is preceded in death by his parents, Dwight Wood (1993) and Irma Wood (1994). 

Hal will be remembered for his unwavering love and devotion to his family, loyalty to friends, unquenchable thirst for knowledge, unending curiosity about the world, love of country, and strong faith in God. His friends and family miss him terribly, and a giant, Hal-sized void has been left in our world. 

Relatives and friends are invited to a celebration of his life on January 15, 2022 at 2:30pm at England Family Mortuary, located 27135 Madison Avenue, Temecula, CA 92590. Desserts and refreshments will be served at 26529 Jefferson Avenue, Murrieta, CA 92562. Hal will be interred at Miramar National Cemetery, at a private ceremony.