Stephen Grossen Wood

Stephen Grossen Wood, 81, of Provo, Utah, died on October 12, 2022.

Stephen was born on March 19, 1941 to Joseph Arthur Wood and Lydia Vira Grossen Wood in Salt Lake City, Utah. He came into the world with a strong and noble spirit, a keen intellect, and a desire to serve God. Growing up on Hubbard Avenue, Stephen spent his summers picking sugar beets for the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, playing baseball, and moonlighting as a chauffeur for the Days of 47 Queens. He discovered a love of history and debate at East High School. He went on to study history at the University of Utah, where he later received his J.D. Stephen then completed his education with a J.S.D. from Columbia University and the University of Munich, where he was Jervey Fellow in Foreign and Comparative Law. He began his law practice at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft in Washington, D.C. In 1976, he joined the faculty at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, where he taught for 34 years, finally retiring in 2010.

In 1968, Stephen met his future wife, Mary Anne Quinn, while they were both attending law school. Stephen liked to say that Mary Anne walked into a church fireside and rescued him. He spent the next five decades repaying her with absolute devotion and selfless service. They were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple on November 26, 1969. Stephen and Mary Anne went on to have five children, Emily E. Toronto, Mary Alice W. Briggs, Stephen Q. Wood, Rachel A. Asbury, and Joseph Q. Wood, and 17 grandchildren. Stephen was a patriarch of great wisdom and sensitivity. He was also a devoted father who never missed a child’s recital, swim meet, or basketball game. Until his final day in this life, he insisted that his greatest blessings were his marriage to Mary Anne and his children and grandchildren.

Stephen was a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Switzerland. As the descendent of Swiss immigrants, he felt a special affinity for the Swiss people and the German language. In the years after his mission, he continued to share his testimony and found great joy in his church service, especially with young people in congregations on BYU campus and at the Missionary Training Center. Stephen loved people of all backgrounds on their terms, was interested in the details of their lives, and ministered to them with gentle kindness and patience. In the days since his passing, numerous people who benefited from his acts of kindness, large and small, have reached out to the family to express their love for him. During the final years of his life, Stephen and Mary Anne dedicated themselves to family history and temple work, and were committed to sharing that work with their posterity.

Stephen savored the richness of life. Teaching the law was his true calling. Each semester he built his curriculum from scratch, highlighting the newest cases and materials for his students, whom he loved. He was an avid reader, who consumed newspapers, magazines, novels, biographies, and anything else he could get his hands on. He was a movie buff and a sports fan, who also enjoyed a night at the opera. He had a lifelong curiosity about the world and always looked forward to exploring it with Mary Anne. His family feels calm confidence knowing that Stephen has returned to the arms of his Savior and loved ones and that he will continue in the great creative work of eternity.

Stephen was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Vira, and his siblings, Joseph, Frank, and Janice. He is survived by his wife, Mary Anne, his children, Emily (Aaron), Mary Alice (Quinn), Stephen (Laura), Rachel (Jared), and Joseph, his 17 grandchildren, Abigail, Mary Jane, Benjamin, Joseph, Alice, Jonah, Caroline, Isaac, Joanna, Judah, Ashby, Ada, Esther, Ezra, Spencer, Margarette, and Owen, and his siblings, Richard and David.

Services will be held on Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at the Hillside Chapel, 1960 North 1500 East, Provo, Utah. Family and friends may call that morning from 9:00 to 10:30 prior to the services. Internment, Eastlawn Memorial Hills, Provo, Utah. A live webcast of services will be available at www.walkersanderson.com where condolences and memories may also be shared.