Martha E. Wood, 90, a longtime resident of Sedro-Woolley, passed away on Monday, May 14, 2007 at Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon, surrounded by her loving family.
She was born on December 6, 1916 in Quinlantown, North Carolina, the daughter of William Estes & Vera Etta Johnson Wyatt.
Martha was raised and attended school in Haywood County, NC.
On December 24, 1935 she was united in marriage to Horace Wood in Canton, NC and there they started their family. In 1945 Horace came to Lyman, WA to work in woods and Martha and their six children followed shortly after; their seventh child was born there in 1947. They later moved to a home on the Garden of Eden Road, west of Sedro-Woolley residing there until 1955 when they moved into town where Martha has made her home for over 50 years.
Martha lived a life of sacrifice and service. She was a dedicated wife and mother and worked very hard raising her seven children. In her younger days she worked in the strawberry fields along with her children. Later she worked in the frozen food canneries in the area, working into her seventies. She was also an avid gardener, working continually in her flower and vegetable garden into her eighties. She enjoyed quilting and completed numerous traditional quilts that became gifts to family & friends. She was also an active yard sale shopper, looking for that special item at sales all over the area with her best friend, Hannah Knuth.
Her home was a gathering place for her family and friends and she will be greatly missed.
Martha was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Horace in 1967; six brothers, four sisters and four grandsons.
She is survived by her four sons, Elmer Wood of Spokane, Caroll Wood and his wife, Suzie of Rockport and Michael Wood and his wife, Carla and Forrest Wood of Sedro-Woolley and her three daughters, JoAnn Gray of Spokane, Judi Wood of Sedro-Woolley and Joan Nicholas of Stanwood. A sister-in-law, Wilma Wyatt of Bellingham and a brother-in-law, James Mills of Waynesville, NC. She also leaves 17 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great-grandsons, of whom she was very proud of and numerous nieces and nephews, living in North Carolina and locally, including Daryl Deitz of Bayview, to whom she was especially close and was like a son to her.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, May 21, 2007 at 2:00 PM at Lemley Chapel with Mr. Phil Mitchell officiating. Interment will follow at the Sedro-Woolley Union Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Lemley Chapel, Sedro-Woolley.