Grace Juanita Wood

Grace Juanita Burnett Wood, 90, of Bald Knob was called home to be with her Lord on November 4, 2017. She died at home surrounded by her family. Juanita was born on March 29, 1927, in Russell, Arkansas, to Joseph William Burnett and Ethel Thelma O’Neal Burnett. She is survived by her daughter, Cynthia Ann Taylor (Michael); two granddaughters, Jacqueline Taylor Cox (Joseph) and Andrea Taylor Mason (Shawn); and four great-grandchildren, Keeley Cox, Aubree Mason, Katee Cox, and Parker Mason. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Shirley Wood; niece, Jane Ellen Wood (and family); and nephew, Tommy Wood. Juanita is preceded in death by her parents, three siblings, and her husband of 55 years, Wayne Sutherlin Wood. Juanita learned to face adversity at an early age. At 13, her mother died, and she was left to help raise her four-year-old brother, Scotty. She graduated from Russell High School in 1946. After graduation, Juanita attended beauty college in Little Rock and then returned to Bald Knob to work as a beautician for Inez Plant. During this time, she met the love of her life, Wayne. They were married on August 31, 1948. Her daughter Cynthia, was born in 1954 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where Wayne was attending Oklahoma State University. Her early lessons in adversity served her well, as complications of childbirth left her with a lifelong seizure disorder that might have defeated a lesser person. With a motto of “wherever we are together is home”, the family traveled to South America and all over the United States during Wayne’s career in pipeline construction. Juanita loved being a wife and mother and, indeed, made each place they were home. They retired in 1984 and moved back home to Bald Knob, where her life was centered around her two granddaughters. Nothing delighted her more than to be “Nene” to them and their friends, and later to the great-grandchildren. Juanita was a wonderful cook and an avid gardener. She loved to can the things she raised in her garden and share them with her family. She was a woman of great faith, starting every day by reading her Bible and praying. While Wayne was still with her, the last thing you heard every night was the two of them saying the Lord’s Prayer aloud together. She practiced what she believed and always saw the best in everyone. She always said “hate” was a bad word. She attended First Baptist Church in Bald Knob where she was a longtime member. Visitation will be Tuesday, November 7, 2017 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Powell Funeral Home in Bald Knob. Burial will be a private service at Gilbert Cemetery followed by a celebration of her life at First Baptist Church in Bald Knob on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. Arrangements are entrusted to Powell Funeral Home, Bald Knob - Judsonia. www.powellfuneralhome.net. In lieu of flowers please donate to the Bald Knob First Baptist Church; 101 North Elm Street, Bald Knob, Arkansas 72010.

Grace Juanita Wood

March 29, 1927 - November 4, 2017