Blair K. Wood, DDS

blair wood, dds

June 17, 1945 ~ October 20, 2019

Dr. Blair K. Wood, 74, of Dameron, MD, affectionately referred to as “Doc” by many friends and loved ones, passed away on October 20, 2019 at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C., as a result of medical complications following surgery. He was surrounded by his loving family. Born June 17, 1945 in Wheeling, WV, he was the son of the late Martha Kittle Wood and Samuel Crayton Wood, II. Dr. Wood is survived by his life partner, Judi Sterling, his step-children, Will Sterling of Leonardtown, MD, Tom Sterling of Annapolis, MD, Christina Sterling Good of Leonardtown, MD, and Scott Paul of Dameron, MD, and his grandchildren, Baylen (Mr. B.), Adalyn and Blake. He is also survived by his sister, Christina (Bob) Burns of Beverly Hills, MI, and many loving extended family members, friends, and patients. Dr. Wood was preceded in death by his brother, Samuel C. Wood, III, and his former spouse, Jewel Wood, with whom he maintained a lasting bond of friendship. Dr. Wood graduated from Triadelphia District High School in 1963. In May of 1966 he joined the United States Army. With his father and brother deployed to Vietnam at the time, the Sole Survivor Policy led him to be stationed in Korea. He became a Purple Heart recipient after being shot in the knees from sniper fire during his deployment. After completing his military service, he continued his education at West Virginia University (WVU) and the WVU School of Dentistry, earning his Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree. In 1977 he picked a random location on the map, and moved to St. Mary’s County and opened his private dental practice in Lexington Park, MD. He has spent the last 42 years providing quality dentistry to many, and his greatest accomplishments included the loyalty shown from many long-standing patients and staff, and the esteem he garnered from his peers. Doc truly enjoyed tinkering. Whether it was working on his ’66 Corvette, kit Cobra, a project around the house, restoring an old gun, or custom making gifts for those he loved, there was always a project in progress. In addition to his dental practice, Doc was most proud of his family. For the last 30 years, he spent much time with his family, usually with a cold beer or glass of scotch in hand, teaching many life lessons and always having a funny story to share. He enjoyed finding clever ways to surprise Judi with gestures of his love and affection. He loved every holiday and would go above and beyond on all of the little details to make each one special. The pride, joy, and love he felt for each of his children and grandchildren was shown in abundance and will be greatly missed. The family will receive friends on Sunday, October 27, 2019 from 2:00PM to 4:00PM in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, Leonardtown, MD with a Memorial Service held at 3:00PM in the Funeral Home Chapel with Father Peter Giovanoni officiating. Interment will be private. Memorial contributions may be made to the Ridge Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 520, Ridge, MD 20680 and/or the Three Oaks Homeless Shelter, 21155 Lexwood Ct. #A, Lexington Park, MD 20653.

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  1. Judi & Entire Sterling,Wood Families ,Our Thoughts & Prayers are with You All, Hugs- Judi, God Bless, Roy, Marie & Geoffrey Buckler

  2. Judi and Family,
    No words will ever describe the love and respect we had for Doc. From being the funniest story teller to having the softest touch in the dental chair, he was the Best. There will always be a special place in our hearts for our beloved friend and he will be deeply missed. May God bless you all and hold you close in HIs arms.
    Suzi Whilden and Willy Dean

  3. Doc was a wonderful man and truly fantastic dentist. He single-handedly cured my fear of the dentist and my kids and I loved going to him. It will be impossible to replace him 🙁 RIP dear Doc 🙁

  4. Lived next door to Blair for many years. He was a great friend and one of the kindest and gentlest man I have ever known. Rest In Peace, Blair. You’ve touched many lives and there are many who love you. Judi, I know your loss is great. I hope your many memories of love will comfort you, as well as the live and care in your heart.

  5. Judy, JoAnn and I send our prayers and love to you, I will not forget the times Doc came over and he and I spent time on a few occasions, telling stories and of course downing a few shots of vodka. He was special and would always listen to whatever bothered you. Always made you feel better. I guess God needed a dentist, now he has a special guy, that definitely will make the heavens special. We all will miss him

    Love
    Steve and JoAnn

  6. Paul and Joan Gelrud judy, Joanie and I send our love to you, your mother and the kids.You know Doc cannot be replaced.He was one of a kind.I will miss his weekly trips to the deli to have his BLT and of course his laughter which was infectious.Also will miss my weekly visits after he closed to drink bourbon and laugh about anything and everything.There are so many things we will miss but especially Doc whose heart was as big as anyone I have known.We feel honored to be among those he loved and called friends.

  7. Judy & Family, Doc’s passing has been a complete shock for me. I’ve known Doc since my family moved to the County in 1984. Doc has been my dentist and friend for 35 years. Doc was always there if I needed him. Doc would always assure me that it didn’t matter what time of day or night he would come running. Most of our time would be spent talking about cars, or life lessons to be learned in this world. Doc was truly a brilliant man and will be sorely missed. I will miss Doc always telling me “Steve, you have some of the best teeth I’ve had the pleasure of taking care of!” I am truly grateful for having known Doc and honored to have been called his friend!

  8. What a wonderful man. Dr. Wood was my Dentist for many, many years. Most people dread going to the dentist . However I always looked forward to my going. It was like a visit to an old friend and we would talk about what great new scotch we had tasted since our last visit. He will be greatly missed…!
    Rufus Dyer

  9. Patricia Gail Ridgell says:

    Judy and Family, We are so sorry to hear of Blair’s passing. Please know we are praying for all. Gail and Ron Ridgell

  10. Mike and Dee Guy and Family. Dear Judy an d Family, we are sorry for your loss of this gentle man Blair.
    We always enjoyed talking and pondering “how are you?” whenever we met at many of the local gatherings.
    Sometimes the the saying “only the good die young” gathers greater meaning. God bless you all.
    Mike and Dee

  11. Dr. Blair has been my friend for the past 28 years. As a “neighbor” for many of those years I had the unique experience to witness his kindness and generosity. He was a true advocate of giving back to the community in any way he could. I fondly remember helping his unload a full size fire hydrant that he purchased at St. Michael’s annual auction. That hydrant must have weighed 300+ pounds. I asked him why he bought it and he said “because it was there” -that’s Dr. Blair-my dear friend and I will miss him dearly.

  12. Dusty and Vicki Rhoades says:

    We’ve been out of town and we are so sorry to hear of Blair’s passing. Vicki and then I have been going to him for more the 30 years as our dentist. But he was so much more than that. He was a friend who always made us feel genuinely welcome. He cared about our lives and shared his own. We will truly miss him. We hold his family in the Light as they go forward with memories of his love. Go well, Blair, your life has spoken well. Vicki and Dusty Rhoades

  13. Dr. wood was my family’s dentist for many, many years. As stated by many others, I never worried nor was anxious when coning to get my check-ups or more urgent dental needs. Always a caring man, Blair always showed interest in other’s lives, He was undoubtedly the best dentist i have had. I will miss him as a kind and professional man!


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