Richard “Dick” Wood Jr., Wawa’s longtime president and CEO, died July 10 at the age of 88.
A Philadelphia native, Wood began his career at Wawa in 1970 as the company’s first general counsel. Over the course of more than five decades with the Delaware County-based convenience store chain, Wood served as president, CEO, and chairman.
Under Wood’s leadership, Wawa expanded beyond the Greater Philadelphia area to employ over 36,000 associates in 900 stores across six states. He is credited as the guiding force behind Wawa’s evolution from a just-the-basics convenience store to a 24/7 gas station operation specializing in made-to-order food and beverages.
Wood was behind the implementation of Wawa’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan in 1992, which allows workers to receive company stock. Today, Wawa is the 21st-largest privately held company in the United States, according to the 2025 Forbes rankings, with employee ownership making up 38% of the company.
“Dick Wood was our true ‘Lead Goose’ who was the guiding heart and soul of the company,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa’s Chairman and CEO, in a statement. “He is the reason why Wawa is the company we are today and why we enjoy so much share of heart from our customers and dedication from our associates. Dick had a profound approach to innovation and business that was truly centered on people, and it’s a philosophy we will all work to carry forward. I am eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside and learn lessons from Dick. He will forever live on at Wawa in all our hearts.”
Wood’s great-grandfather, George Wood, opened the first Wawa Dairy in Delaware County in 1902. George’s grandson Grahame Wood opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 and would later convince Richard to join the family business after he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Wood became Wawa’s president in 1977, CEO in 1980, and was named chairman and CEO in 1982. He served as CEO until his retirement in 2004, after which he remained chairman of the board of directors. In 2020, upon reaching his 50th anniversary at Wawa, Wood was appointed chairman emeritus.
In honor of Wood, Wawa will offer free coffee to all customers on Monday, July 20.
