Billie Rae Cooper Wood, 78, passed away on Friday, June 3, 2016, at her residence in Louisville, Mississippi. Visitation will be Monday, June 6, 2016, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Nowell Massey Funeral Home in Louisville, Mississippi. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 7, 2016, in the Nowell Massey Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Hubert Yates officiating. Interment will follow in Evergreen Baptist Church Cemetery.
Ms. Wood was born August 13, 1937, to Thomas and Belle Sanders Cooper. She worked as a Sales Associate and Customer Service Representative for Sears, Roebuck, and Company for many years. She retired from the Louisville School District as a teacher assistant at Fair Elementary. She loved children and the students in her care, as well as others, loved her as a grandmother. After her retirement, she continued to work in the school system by being a substitute teacher as needed. Billie Rae was a member of Wess Chapel Baptist Church where she served as the church pianist for many years. In a Facebook tribute, Sue Clay Ward described “Mrs. Bill” as “mother, grandmother, aunt, teacher, co-worker, Sunday School teacher, Bible School Teacher, poet, pianist, friend, and servant of God! What an awesome lady!”
Billie Rae is survived by two sons, Thomas “Tony” Wood and wife, Barbara, of Louisville; and Robert “Bobby” Wood and wife, Deanna, of Huntsville, Alabama; and her sister-in-law, Billie Dean Cooper also of Louisville. One of her greatest joys was being “MawMaw Bill” to her grandchildren: Charles Wood and wife, Misty; and Kathleen Lechman also of Huntsville; two great-grandchildren, Jackson Staggs and James Leslie; as well as her nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, B. W. “Bud” Wood, Jr.; her son, Brad Wood; her parents; her sister, Doris M. Pugh; her brother, Thomas D. “Tom” Cooper, Jr.; and a special niece, Dot Thiel.
Serving as pallbearers will be Chris Bannon, Dale Collins, Thomas Cooper, Joey Partridge, Doug Thompson, and Charles Wood. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be given to Winston-Choctaw Gideon Camp, P. O. Box 556, Louisville, MS 39339.
Services are under the direction of Nowell-Massey Funeral Home, 724 North Columbus Avenue, Louisville, MS. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family by signing the guest register at www.nowellmasseyfuneralhome.com
