Obituary of Christopher R. Wood

Christopher R. Wood, Sr. passed away at his home on January 20, 2026. He was 85 years old.

Born in Bound Brook, NJ, to parents Walter and May (Bailey) Wood, Chris was raised in Basking Ridge. He was married to Joan Tinker Wood of Gardner, Massachusetts in 1962, whom he met at his alma mater Colby College in 1958. They settled in Peapack-Gladstone, where they raised their sons Christopher and Joshua, and were married for 32 years before Joan’s passing in 1994.

In 1997, he married Judith Case Smith. After living in Peapack-Gladstone for nearly 50 years, they moved to Chester, NJ eight years ago. Having conquered several health challenges in recent years, Chris maintained a highly-active lifestyle with his best friend and wife Judy.

Chris graduated from Bernards High School in 1958, and went on to receive his Bachelor’s Degree in History from Colby College in 1962, and his JD from Boston University Law School in 1965. He joined his friend and legal partner Robert C. Rafano in private practice to form Rafano & Wood, P.C. in 1970 in South River, NJ. They were later joined by Robert and Ann Rafano’s son Christopher D. Rafano as a partner in the firm.  Mr. Wood retired in 2018 but continued to work part-time as an attorney and arbitrator until his passing.

Mr. Wood previously served a Judicial Clerkship with the Honorable David D. Furman and as a Legal Assistant and Assistant County Prosecutor for Middlesex County. Mr. Wood also served as Municipal Prosecutor in Monroe Township, Attorney for the Middlesex Borough Planning Board, and was a member of the Middlesex County Ethics Committee. He was certified as a Civil Trial Attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court.

Chris was a man of faith and a dedicated parishioner of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church where he served as a member of the Vestry and the planning board.  He was highly involved in his community, serving on the Peapack-Gladstone planning board and coaching his sons’ baseball teams.

An avid outdoorsman, Chris previously managed many of the hunting and fishing activities at Willow Avenue Game Club and was a member of Larger Cross Roads Gun Club. He loved nature and music, was an enthusiastic reader, and was deeply curious about a wide range of subjects.

More than anything else, Chris was a great family man who showered his loved ones with affection.

Chris is survived by his beloved wife Judith Wood; sons Christopher R. Wood, Jr. and his wife Jamie; Joshua Wood and his wife Betsy; Kevin Smith and his wife Robynne; and daughters Kelly Smith O’Hara and her husband Christopher; and Sharon Hirsch and her husband Steve. He is also survived by twelve grandchildren: Tanner Wood, Bryce Wood, Braden Wood, Bridget Wood, Matthew Hirsch and his wife Katie Jackson, Katie Hirsch Agnew and her husband Nate, Morgan Smith, Kamryn Smith, Christopher O’Hara II, Molly O’Hara, Caitlin O’Hara, and Elizabeth O’Hara. Also survived are his beloved cousins Lenny Bailey and his wife Brigid, and Rosalind Walker. Chris is also predeceased by his two brothers Walter and Bailey and his cousin Betsy Bailey Guzenski.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 29, from 3 to 7 PM, at the Bailey Funeral Home, 176 Main Street, Peapack. A funeral service will be held on January 30, at 11 AM at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 182 Main Street, Gladstone. In lieu of flowers, donations in Chris’s memory may be made to American Cancer Society (20 Mercer Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601) and Nourish NJ (36 Sussex Avenue, Morristown, NJ 07960 ).