Sue Campbell Wood

Sue joined the love of her life smiling, as she entered Heaven, on Thursday, January 30, 2025, after a sudden illness. She leaves behind quite the legacy of immense love through her family and the many she cared for. We are comforted knowing she is now fully restored with the love of her life, her Bill. She was a beautiful force of immense strength, kindness, and pure love on this Earth.

Sue Campbell Wood is survived and loved immensely by her devoted daughter, Leslie Hardesty and son-in-law, Nicholas Hardesty, her son, Phillip Wood, her two adored grandchildren, Libbie and Henry Hardesty, her loving sisters, Carolyn Campbell and Marcia Kline-Libertz (Joe), as well as extended family, friends and all those she cared for during her lifetime. She is predeceased by the great and true love of her life, William C. Wood, Jr. (her Bill). Bill waited 100 days for her to join him in Heaven. She is also predeceased by her favorite Uncles Cliff Goff and Joe Uomoleale, favorite Aunt Hazel and Uncle Leslie Hinkle, dear brother-in-law, Wendell ("Dink") Kline, and by her parents, William and Betty Campbell.

Sue was an amazing, thoughtful, vibrant and loving wife to Bill for 51 years (his dream girl). She was the best mother and grandmother, a devoted sister, a considerate friend, plus a caring nurse practitioner and teacher to the countless people she helped. She was a master caregiver and navigator of any situation. She enjoyed singing classical music, Handel's Messiah being a favorite, as a soprano in the Richmond Symphony for many years, was an immensely talented gourmet cook and gourmet club member. She was an integral part that kept her beautiful family in positive motion, guiding them to be their best, always.

She was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia, raised in Northern Virginia, the youngest of three amazingly strong and smart girls. Small but immensely tough, a blue-eyed beauty inside and out, Sue was a determined girl from the start. She attended Thomas Jefferson High School, was a hard working student and a TJ cheerleader, which Bill loved to brag about.

Lucky for us, she came to Richmond, where she met Bill (on a blind date to a Moody Blues concert), while she attended Nursing School and he Dental School at MCV/VCU. Sparks flew instantly. They worked very hard as a team and built a beautiful life and family together. She spent much of her nursing career in private practice and her passions always centered around family - women's and children's healthcare. She spent many years at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children, Richmond Center for Fertility and Endocrinology, and at Virginia Women's Center (from where she retired as a women's health care nurse practitioner). She had a true passion and drive to continuously learn and share her talents, always giving her best to care for others. She wrote a book chapter on infertility, served on the National Nurse Practitioner Board, and gave love, hope, thoughtful care and unwavering support to all her patients and colleagues during her career.

In retirement, she worked tirelessly to keep Bill "in line", cared for her infant granddaughter, Libbie (being over the moon with delight to gain her favorite title of Grandma Sue in 2013) and served as a volunteer locally. Sue was able to travel extensively with Bill around the US & abroad - enjoying many trips to US National Parks, the Caribbean, Italy, Turkey, Germany, England, France, Portugal and Russia, just to name a few - all while collecting beautiful ornaments to add to her beloved Christmas/Santa ornament collection (celebrating her favorite holiday) along the way. These trips and all the memories made brought her, Bill and their family much joy - and will be cherished forever.

Sue’s love, strength, life's work and influence will live on forever, as a reminder of the impact she made on the lives she served and most importantly, on those she loved the most, her family and friends.

Please keep Sue and Bill and their beautiful family - the most prized and precious legacy of their true and everlasting love - in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

A celebration of her life will be held in the spring at Woody Funeral Home with inurnment afterwards. Date/time/details to be announced as soon as possible, once their final resting place at Westhampton Memorial Park is ready.

In lieu of flowers, her family asks you to please consider making a donation to the VCU School of Nursing Annual Scholarship Fund in tribute/memory of Sue Campbell Wood, R.N.C., M.S. (BSN '73, MS '87). Gifts may be mailed to: VCU School of Nursing Annual Scholarship Fund, 111 N. Fourth St., Box 843042, Richmond, VA 23284-3042 or made online: https://www.support.vcu.edu/give/nursing) to help someone in need that wishes to further their career in nursing.

Sue's family would like to thank the loving care team at Beth Shalom Parkside and Heartland for their help in providing exceptional care, love, comfort and service to Sue, when she needed it the most, all while holding her hand, plus Bill’s and Leslie’s hands as well. For this we are eternally grateful.

Don't cry long for me because I am gone, please simply smile forever because I was here, loved you and it was spectacular.