Mildred Gouge Wood
August 8, 1935 - March 7, 2026

An example of a life well lived, Mildred Louise Gouge Wood was born August 8, 1935 in Johnson City, TN and went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on March 7, 2026 from the Rainey Hospice House in Anderson, SC.

Mildred was a graduate of Happy Valley High School in 1953. After high school, she took some business classes at Steed College and worked at Kress Department Store and then at Raytheon. Her family went to Cedar Grove Baptist Church and Mildred began playing piano there when she was a teenager and she played there for over 75 years until her second hip injury. While at Cedar Grove, she met and married her husband, James Paul Wood on June 29, 1963 and celebrated their 62nd anniversary in 2025.

Mildred worked at Raytheon until she and Paul had their children—-Terry Paul (1968) and April Dawn (1974). Mildred and Paul stayed very active in their church as Mildred played piano and Paul was the music minister for several years. Mildred also played piano for the Cedar Grove Quartet, which was made up of her husband, Paul, her sister, Shirley Swink, Kent McKinney, and Ernest "Red" Gardner. During all this time, Mildred and Paul raised their children in church and taught them by example to know, love, and serve the Lord. After some medical complications left their daughter without the ability to walk or talk, Mildred and Paul fleshed out God's love for all to see in their amazing care for April for almost 18 years till God set her free. Terry was called to ministry and was a student minister for over 20 years and is currently the Minster of Worship at Flat Rock Baptist Church in Liberty, SC.

Mildred is preceded in death by her daughter, April, her parents, Homer and Dovie Gouge, her brother, Don Gouge, her sisters, Norma (Blalock), Edna (Killen Massey), Stella (Burleson), Shirley (Swink), Geraldine (Cansler) and her brothers-in-law, Don Blalock, Ronnie Killen, Bob Massey, Clarence Burleson, Bill Swink, and John Cansler. She is survived by her sister, Sonya (Rice and husband, Gary), her husband, Paul Wood, her son, Terry, his wife, Shannon Black Wood, and her grandchildren, Taylor Paul (and wife, Kailee Glover Wood), Mary Elizabeth, and Peyton Joe, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Graveside Service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at Roselawn Memorial Park with the Rev. Roy Wilson, Rev. Walker Roberson, Rev. Dave Shorter and Rev. Dan Wood officiating. Family and friends will assemble at the cemetery at 1:50 p.m. Wednesday.

In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to Cedar Grove Baptist Church in Johnson City, TN or to Hospice of the Upstate (Rainey Hospice House) in Anderson, SC. Condolences may be sent to the family at our web-site www.memorialfcelizabethton.com.

Memorial Funeral Chapel is serving the Wood family