Obituary of Andrew Allan Hood

Andrew Allan (Al) Hood, age 86 of Lake Placid passed away at home on January 17, 2025. Born in Brooklyn, he was the son of the late Andrew and Elizabeth Whelan Hood. He received his B.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an M.S. from NYU, both in Electrical Engineering. Al had a distinguished career with the Bell System at Bell Laboratories and then Bellcore. In addition to his technical expertise, he enjoyed mentoring young engineers both formally and informally. Al married the love of his life, Virginia (Jini) on September 9, 1961. The honeymoon was cross-country to the Seattle World's Fair in a Volkswagon Beetle, the first of many adventures together. They raised five children in Middletown, New Jersey.The family now travelled by Volkswagon bus, and, once Al earned his pilot's license, by plane. The family often vacationed at state and national parks to camp, hike and even square dance with friends from the Middletown Ramblers. Al loved to share his passion for the outdoors. Upon retiring from Bellcore, Al was an international telecom consultant and he and Jini spent more than a year living in Melbourne, Australia where he worked to ensure a smooth Y2K transition. In 2001, Al and Jini moved to Lake Placid, NY to enjoy the beauty and outdoor activities of the Adirondacks. They enjoyed hiking, canoeing, cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing with friends and family. In the summer, you could see Al on his daily swim back and forth across Mirror Lake. In retirement they had the time to explore the world and did so mostly through the 45 Road Scholar/Elderhostel travel adventures they enjoyed. Throughout his life, Al was generous with his time, volunteering in many capacities including Boy Scouts, YMCA Indian Guides, the Lake Placid Ironman, and St. Andrew's Society. A lifelong learner and natural teacher, he picked up everything from juggling to orienteering, star-gazing to scuba-diving. Most of all, Al loved sharing stories and slideshows about his many adventures. In addition to his beloved wife Jini, Al is survived by his children, Andrew Hood, Teresa (Joe) Wright, Dennis (Cindy) Hood, James (Theresa) Hood, and Robert(Tracy) Hood; his grandchildren Alex (Laura), Kevin (Jenny), Victoria, Kayleigh, Thomas (Lucy), Cameron, and Meghan Hood; great-grandchildren Alex Jr. and Violet Hood, and Kailey Gray; and many cousins. Al was predeceased by his sister Maureen and grandson Jeffrey. Visitation will be held at St. Agnes Church on Wednesday January 22nd from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM. Rev. Paul Kelly will officiate. Burial will be in St. Agnes Cemetery in May. Please Visit www.mbclarkfuneralhome.com to sign the online guest book, share a memory, upload a photograph or leave condolences to be added to the memorial tribute book for the family to cherish. The church service will be livestreamed on the St. Agnes Catholic Church – Lake Placid, NY Facebook page at 11am. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Adirondack Mountain Club (adk.org) to support their mission.