Wood was born as Hilda Caroline Annie Watts in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on 17 November 1907. She was the eldest of five children born to parents William James Watts (1882–1963) and Elizabeth Susan Harris (1884–1963), both British immigrants. Her siblings were Alma Margaret Watson (1909–1993), Selina Elizabeth Farthing (1912–2004), John and Edie Faiers.

At some point, she married Norman Wood. The couple had one daughter, Lynda. She worked as a stenographer, and as a telephone operator briefly. Her husband passed away in 1971.

Wood passed away in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on 24 January 2018, at the age of 110 years, 68 days. She was survived by her daughter, 3 granddaughters, one great-granddaughter, and her younger sister, Edie.