In Memoriam

Jon Clair Wood

Obituary

San Antonio Express-News

March 7, 2021

Jon Clair Wood was born in Wichita, Kansas May 8, 1942 to Winifred Walling and John Carter Wood.

He died from cancer at home with his wife February 23, 2021 in San Antonio. Jon graduated in 1964 from Yale University with a degree in History of Music and from the University of Texas Law School in 1967. Jon and Connie Hanes were married in Amarillo in 1966.

After law school Jon served as a law clerk for Judge D. W. Suttle of the United States District Court of Texas from 1967-1971 in El Paso and San Antonio. Charmed by San Antonio, Jon and Connie decided to make it home.

Jon was the leading public utilities attorney in San Antonio and one of the leading attorneys in the utilities field regionally for many years. Jon entered private practice and became a key counsel in regulatory and energy matters for the City Public Service Board of San Antonio (later CPS Energy), the nation's largest combined municipally owned electric and gas system. He was instrumental in preserving the city's natural-gas supply in state-wide litigation against the city's natural-gas supplier.

As outside general counsel for CPS Energy, Jon was instrumental in creating the legal structure for CPS Energy's joint participation in the South Texas Nuclear Project and acted as head of the STP legal committee for more than three decades. Following the formation of the STP Nuclear Operating Company, the entity responsible for operating the South Texas Nuclear Project, Jon served as the organization's general counsel and secretary from the mid-1990s until 2010.

Jon also served as managing partner and president of his law firm, Matthews & Branscomb of San Antonio and Corpus Christi. During his years of practice and under his guidance, the firm represented the San Antonio Water System, the VIA public transit system, and numerous smaller municipal and electric cooperative utilities, in addition to CPS Energy. In later years Jon was an adjunct professor at St. Mary's University Law School in San Antonio. Having been fortunate to have three exceptional mentors early in his career, he enjoyed mentoring young attorneys.

Jon was an ardent believer in the value that the arts bring to a society. As well as being a collector of contemporary art, he was a founding member of Arts San Antonio and the Tres Centurias Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing major public sculpture installations in San Antonio.

He was also a longtime patron of the McNay Art Museum, the San Antonio Symphony, and the San Antonio Chamber Music Society. A union member trombone player in his youth, he was an avid lover of both jazz and classical music, as well as an afficionado of sports cars, martinis, good wine, and international travel. Jon was always consuming books on religion, philosophy, physics, or history. As a young man he fell in love with snow skiing, which became his sport of choice.

Jon is survived by his wife Connie, his children, Jennifer and Carter, and his sister Janet Gillies. He loved his extended family members, dear friends, and colleagues. Jon was kind and generous and had a keen sense of humor. His optimistic and fun-loving outlook on life is summed up by lyrics from a James Taylor song: "The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time … We might as well enjoy the ride."

A celebration of Jon's life will be scheduled later.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to an organization of your choice, an arts organization, or ThriveWell Cancer Foundation.