Celebrating the life of
Katharine Calhoun Wood
February 17, 1950 - October 03, 2026
Katharine Calhoun Wood, 76, of Savannah, died peacefully at home on October 3, 2026 after a long and courageous battle with cancer. She passed surrounded by her husband and children.
Kathy was preceded in death by her parents, Lawton and Mary Anne Calhoun, and her older brother, Lawton. Kathy is survived by her husband of 37 years, Frank Wood, their daughter Katie, their son Andrew (Hollyn), her sisters Mary Anne Farmer (Tom) and Lilla Costello, and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins whom she adored.
Kathy was born in Savannah and attended Savannah Country Day School through the ninth grade. She graduated from St. Timothy’s School in Stevenson, Maryland in 1968. She spent a year at Vanderbilt University in the Engineering School but found great happiness after transferring to Hollins College. Graduating from Hollins in 1972, she returned to Savannah where she worked diligently in the successful campaign of Ronald “Bo” Ginn for Congress. Moving to Washington D.C., she worked on Ginn’s staff until he left Congress, then with the General Services Administration and the House Budget Committee. In 1982 she became Congressman Andy Ireland’s Chief of Staff, then one of the few women to hold that position among 435 Congressional offices. The team she selected and hired named themselves the “I Team” and managed Ireland’s legislative, committee and constituent-relations requirements as well as four successful reelection campaigns and the campaign for his successor, Congressman Dan Miller. It was in the D.C. area that she met and in 1989 married her husband Frank, who worked for the US Coast Guard in regulatory implementation, program planning and strategic risk management.
Kathy and Frank raised their two children, Katie (31) and Andrew (33), while managing active and fulfilling careers. Kathy navigated both the expected challenges of parenthood and the extraordinary circumstances which she and Frank faced with strength, dignity, and grace.
Her most fulfilling professional role was serving as the Chief Operating Officer of Hurt, Norton & Associates, a DC lobbying firm she co-founded in 1997 with Bob Hurt, her friend and colleague from Bo Ginn’s original staff, and Colonel Frank Norton (US Army-ret). Kathy continued her relationship with the firm for several years after she and Frank moved back to Savannah in 2017.
Kathy was blessed with a wide circle of friends that included her Country Day School friends from Savannah, her classmates at St. Timothy’s and Hollins, the many friends she made during her career years in DC, and a wonderful community she and Frank built upon returning to Savannah. Kathy was the glue that bound her communities together; a fast friend who naturally drew people’s love and admiration. She was well known for her great sense of humor, her love of hearing and telling a good story, and most importantly, her loyalty and integrity. Her family and friends will always be heartened by her enduring strength and love.
Funeral services will be held at Christ Church Episcopal, 28 Bull Street, at eleven o’clock on Saturday, October 17, 2026. Burial will be at a future date in Bonaventure Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to Second Harvest Food Bank of Coastal Georgia (helpendhunger.org) or to your favorite charity.
What a loss to our family and community!
- Comer V Meadows, TYBEE ISLAND, GA
So sorry. She will be missed by all.
- James McIntosh, Savannah, GA
So sorry to hear of your loss, Frank. Prayers for you and yours
- Robert Frump, Austin, TX
So sorry to hear of your loss, Frank. Prayers for you and yours
- Robert Frump, Austin, TX
So sorry to hear of your loss, Frank. Prayers for you and yours
- Robert Frump, Austin, TX
Frank, my thoughts and prayers are with you and the family! Hope your wonderful memories of Kathy help ease your sorrow.
- Terry Placek, Austin , MN
So very sorry for your loss! Prayers for Gods healing comfort.
- David Fulford, Carlyle, IL
Frank, my prayers are with you and yours during this time of loss and grief. May God walk with you and that you are able to draw comfort from your memories.
- Steve Phifer, Fredericksburg , VA
Kathy was such a wonderful, kind person who told amazing stories of her time growing up in Savannah and her time working in DC. She will be missed.
- sheri meyer-hanover, SAVANNAH, ga
My prayers are with you. May her memory be a blessing to each of you. Heaven has a wonderful new angel now.
- Ell Murphy, Brooklyn, NY
Kathy was an awesome person ....kind.friendly, happy, and very accomplished! It was always fun to see her around town and feel her warmth and sincerity....she was a treasure who will be very much missed....peace, Kathy
- Julie McIntosh, Savannah, GA
Kathy was an awesome person ....kind.friendly, happy, and very accomplished! It was always fun to see her around town and feel her warmth and sincerity....she was a treasure who will be very much missed....peace, Kathy
- Julie McIntosh, Savannah, GA
So sorry for your loss. May Kathy's memory be a blessing.
- Irina Sprouse, Lithia, FL
Kathy and I were roommates at Hollins freshman year. I just moved to Hilton Head and thought maybe I could reconnect with Kathy at some point. Though I have not seen her since Hollins, I have often thought of her and the impact she made on me freshman year. I know you will all miss her.
- Mary K. Farmer Shaughnessy, Hilton Head Island, SC
Dear Frank, we were saddened to hear the news. It sounds like she led a remarkable and full life, that you, Andrew, and Katie were privileged to share with her. You are all in our thoughts.
- Paul and Mindy Sherwin, Hudson, MA
It's been 50 years knowing you and at least 40 knowing your dear wife Kathy. She was always the positive light in the room - and so accomplished.! She fought valiantly for so long. We hold her memory in our hearts with much fondness and are grateful for having the honor of knowing her so many years, especially all those years in D.C. Our prayers are with you & for her. May you remember only good times, until you see her again.
- Kevin & Maria McEvoy, Spring, Texas
Losing Kathy leaves a big hole in the world and we are so sorry you and the family have to go through this. We continue to keep our fond memories of her near our hearts and hope her love for you will bring you some solace.
- Darlene Bremer & Ray Brule, Lewes, DE
Kathy and I shared our entire lives together. So many wonderful times together. Our mothers were best friends during their lives and ensured that we would share the same experiences. Even during Kathy's many years away from Savannah we continued to share our lives through her Christmas cards , letters and visits to Savannah. My lasting love for her will always be in my heart.
- Lucy Mcintire Hitch, Savannah, GA
Frank, I'm Karen Kollmansperger's nephew. I'm truly sorry to read about Calhoun. She and I had become Facebook buddies until recent years.
- Michael Standifer, Atlanta, GA
Services under the direction of:
Fox & Weeks Funeral Directors, Hodgson Chapel
912-352-7200
- Memorial Service
- 11am on Sat, October 17, 2026
- Christ Church Episcopal on Johnson Square
-
28 Bull Street (map)
Savannah GA 31401 - 912-236-2500
