Linda Faye Wood

Linda Faye Olive Wood encountered her Blessed Savior Jesus Christ face-to-face on August 22, 2025. She was a faithful and beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. A registered nurse for over 49 years, she took exceptional care of her patients and helped deliver hundreds of babies. Throughout the years, it has been a common occurrence for people to come up to her and praise her for her phenomenal performance in delivering their children. 

In addition to being a nurse, she faithfully supported her husband of 58 years, Pastor Benny Wood, as he proclaimed the Gospel to a lost and dying world. Most notably, she served alongside her husband for 42 years until his retirement as the pastor of Tri-City Baptist Church in Eden. Most recently, she was a member of Wayside Baptist Church in Ridgeway, Virginia. 

A lover of sacred music, Linda Wood had an encyclopedic knowledge of hymns and sang them with incredible skill and joy. She was an avid student of the Word of God, filling the pages of her Bibles with notes and prayers, and using her vast biblical understanding to bless so many people, including the children she taught for decades in Sunday School. Some of her other passions included: flowers, cooking, and spending time (and forcing her family to) in her garden. Most of all, she loved to spend time with her family, especially her grandchildren, by whom she was greatly adored. 

Linda Faye Olive Wood was born on December 15, 1947, to Alton and Lura Olive of Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. She was a graduate of Gardner Webb University. She married the love of her life, Pastor Benny Wood, on December 17, 1966. They met at Piney Grove Baptist Church in Fuquay-Varina during a Revival Service. Preacher Wood said he noticed her in the choir, so he kept “preaching to the choir.” Their 58-year marriage was filled with laughter, love, service to the Lord and each other, and her telling him what to do. 

In addition to her husband, she is survived by her four children: Whitney Coberley (Steve), Nan Welborn (Paul), Kennie Wood (Crystal), and Miranda Ramey (Jason). She is also survived by numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren, as well as her brother Ross Olive (Nancy) and sister Katie Gilbert (Ronnie). She was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers: Aaron Olive and James “Jimmy” Olive, sister Mary Lou Bryant, and her nephew Benjamin Bryant. 

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, August 26th at 11 a.m. at Wayside Baptist Church, located at 1256 Morehead Avenue, Ridgeway, Virginia. The family will receive friends for a one-hour visitation from 10-11 a.m. prior to the service. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Wayside Baptist Church.

Online condolences may be offered to the family at www.fairfuneralhome.com.