Alexander B. Hood – March 25

Alexander B. Hood, a Canadian immigrant, long-time executive at Time Inc., father of four and grandfather of six, died on Wednesday, March 25, at the age of 88.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1931, Hood ran a number of small businesses as a child before immigrating to the United States in 1949, determined to land a job at Time Inc. He quickly got a job in the mailroom there, and spent the rest of his 42-year career with the publishing giant, rising through the ranks in various departments to eventually hold key roles in, first, HR, and later as the executive in charge of the company’s extensive real estate portfolio.

During the Korean War, though still a Canadian citizen, Hood volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army; he was stationed at Fort Slocum in Long Island Sound, where he taught journalism to military personnel. He returned to Time Inc. following his service, and shortly afterward earned both U.S. citizenship and a Bachelor’s degree from Fordham University.

In the late 1950s in New York he met Catherine Crossley, of Binghamton, N.Y., whom he married in 1959. They moved to the New York City suburb of Pelham Manor, N.Y., in Westchester, where they lived for 52 years and raised four children.

Alex was a voracious reader. He enjoyed any gathering that involved people and story telling. He had a quick wit and was crowned King of the pointless story. He loved all things New York: A decade long season ticket holder for the New York Football Giants and a daily reader of the entire New York Times. If you couldn’t locate Alex in the New York city area, you might find him trying to find a copy of the Times at his second home in Silver Lake, PA.

Alex will be remembered as a host, a master of ceremonies, a great story teller, a person of high principles and most of all…a true gentleman.

Hood was active in giving back to the community, serving on the Pelham Human Relations Committee in the 1960s; as a long-time lector at his parish church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help; and, after his retirement in the late 1980s, serving for over a decade as a board member and eventually chairman of Aging in America, a nonprofit serving the elderly with nursing homes and other services in the Bronx.

Hood’s wife Kate died in 2005; he is survived by his children: Alexander B. Hood and his wife, Tara; Martha Hood; Ted Hood and his wife, Laura; and Daniel Hood; as well as his six grandchildren: Oliver, Nicholas, Gabriela, Madeleine, Alexander, and Mortimer.

Editor’s note: This obituary was provided by the Pelham Funeral Home.