She spent her time as a child in multiple small farms by the Des Moines River.
She attended Humboldt High School, and in 1937 she went to the University of Northern Iowa, where she met her future husband, William O.
Her failure to teach the student led to her starting a career in special education when that field was just beginning.
The column was written by her for almost 8 years, and it was published as a book, Handful of Popcorn, for parents with children that have Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
In 2011, Wood was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame and later won a 2012 UNI Outstanding Alumnus Award.