Gloria Wood

Gloria Jean Wood\r\nAug. 12, 1946 - Feb. 27, 2018\r\nAustin, Texas - Age 71\r\n\r\nGloria Jean Wood died on Feb. 27, 2018. She was 71. A celebration of her life will be held Saturday, March 3 at Grimes Funeral Home in Bandera, Texas. Visitation will be 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The funeral will be 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., followed the burial at Oak Rest Cemetery in Medina, Texas. \r\n\r\nGloria's life was adventurous, miraculous and inspiring. As a child, she was intelligent and creative. She could read before she started kindergarten and had a great ear for music. She could play saxophone, clarinet, recorder and piano. She could crochet and was a talented seamstress.\r\n\r\nShe grew up in Medina, Texas, where she met the love of her life, Charles L. Wood Sr., who taught band at Medina High School. Gloria and Charles were married for 34 years. They raised a family in a household full of love, learning and music. The family lived in Kerrville, Texas and later in Yorktown, Texas. \r\n\r\nGloria raised four children while attending nursing school to become an LVN. She then worked full time while studying to become a Registered Nurse. Gloria worked in many areas of nursing, including Emergency Room, Intensive Care, Obstetrics, Home Health and Hospice. She founded and ran a successful home health practice in Cuero, Texas. \r\n\r\nAt 40, Gloria miraculously survived an illness that led to weeks of amnesia and left her totally blind for 15 years. Instead of giving up, she turned her condition into a new career. She learned Braille during her weeks of rehab, assisted by her husband who taught himself Braille and used it to send her letters while she was learning skills, such as walking with a cane. \r\n\r\nGloria went back to school and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. She got a job as a Braille teacher with the Texas Commission for the Blind and became so successful at teaching Braille that she became a trainer, educating others about how to teach Braille efficiently. She ultimately became an internationally recognized teacher in Braille, attending conferences all over the United States. \r\n\r\nGloria cared for her husband Charles, as he battled melanoma for 10 years, succumbing to cancer in 1997. \r\n\r\nIn 1999 her life changed dramatically once again as her vision suddenly returned. After more than a decade with the Texas Commission for the Blind, Gloria returned to her earlier passion as a nurse. She worked at different hospitals, home health and hospice agencies, and ran the infirmary for the State School in Austin before retiring.\r\n\r\n\r\nGloria loved being part of a church family. She taught Sunday School and played piano and organ at the First Baptist Church of Yorktown, where her husband was a deacon and led the choir. In her retirement, Gloria was active in the First United Methodist Church of Pflugerville, Texas. She volunteered as a Stephen Minister and founded a Pray and Crochet group.\r\n\r\nShe is survived by children Charles L. Wood Jr. and wife Melissa Wood; Kenneth Wood and wife Bethany Wood; and Christopher Wood; siblings Glenda Blair, Vernon Arlen Williams Jr. and wife Linda Williams; and Stephen Williams and wife Tonyia Williams. \r\n\r\nShe was preceded in death by Charles L. Wood Sr., her husband of 34 years; her parents, Vernon A. Williams and Florine (Taylor) Williams.\r\n\r\nIn lieu of flowers, the family suggests making donations to the Central Texas Food Bank (https://www.centraltexasfoodbank.org/) or the charity of your choice. \r\n