Mary Susan “Mollie” Wood, 59, of Mt. Carmel, Illinois, passed away Wednesday, February 3, 2021, at Deaconess Gateway Hospital in Evansville, Indiana, surrounded by the love of her family.
Mollie was born March 31, 1961, in Mt. Carmel, Illinois, the daughter of John David and Mary Susan Wood. She graduated high school and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Middle Eastern History from the University of Georgia. Mollie was a member of Barney’s Prairie Christian Church, serving as a Deacon. She was a member of Mt. Carmel Chapter NSDAR. She worked as a legal secretary for various law firms and was a high school history teacher for a number of years. Mollie’s greatest love was for her family and eleven nieces and nephews.
Nothing was more important to Mollie than her faith in God. When some people use the word faith, they mean believing that Jesus did the miraculous things he did and said. For Mollie, however, faith went deeper than merely believing that something happened. For her, faith was a matter of trusting in God, of committing her life to God, and of allowing God to guide her path and show her the way to treat others and the world.
Mollie read a lot about the historical elements of Christianity, and she could—and did—debate theology with the best of them. Her Christian faith was what led her to teaching high school students, a passion that resulted in her obtaining her bachelor’s degree in middle eastern history and a career teaching history and social studies. Mollie’s belief that Jesus’ love was meant to be spread to all manifested itself in real, tangible ways. She tried to impart Christian values to her students. She served in our church, often presenting “specials” that were mini sermons.
She also used that faith as a support in the dark times in her life. When her diagnosis was made, it could not have been bleaker. However, the writings of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:1 gave her comfort, “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
We reflect on these words now that we are faced with a world without Mollie, without her warmth, and without her fierce intelligence, and without her persistence in finding the truth alongside hope. Her house is now made from the love she forged with her Creator, it will last eternally, it is built of her shining and unshakable faith.
Mollie also loved her family. When Susie, her mother, was a single mother working three jobs to support her children, Mollie became the de facto “mom” for her younger siblings. Later in life, she became a “yo-yo” child – going off for a period away from family to pursue a dream or an ambition only to return to family, especially (I believe) to be near to her mother. In her final days, that is where Mollie needed to be – near her mother and so it was.
Left to cherish Mollie’s memory are her parents, Susie Wood and Gerald Brooks; siblings David Wood of Lorton, Virginia, James Wood of Mt. Carmel, Illinois, Rachel Galatas of Mt. Carmel, Illinois, Thomas Wood of Brunswick, Georgia, Erik Wood of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee and Amanda Frenier of Zanesville, Ohio; and eleven nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her father John David Wood.
There was a private family service celebrating Mollie’s life, Saturday, February 6, 2021.
Memorials may be made to Barney’s Prairie Christian Church.
Condolences may be made online at www.short-cunninghamfh.com
Short-Cunningham Funeral Home is honored to serve Mollie’s family.
