Mr. Edgar H. "Ray" Wood

Edgar H. "Ray" Wood passed away on July 18, 2026 at the age of 94. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Martha Wood, daughter Julie Wood, daughter Susan (Tom) Sanders, grandchildren Anna Sanders, Mary Sanders, Andrew (Ashley) Sanders, brother Jimmy Wood, stepchildren John Gernannt and his children Sarah Gernannt and Addison (Jessie) Gernannt , Fred McCoy (Jackie) and their son Micah McCoy, Karen Toholsky (Dan) and their children Preston Toholsky, Lila (Tanner) Bartlett, Marshall (Evan) Toholsky, and several nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his son Robbie Wood. Ray was born on June 22, 1932 in Eldorado, GA. He was raised by his mother’s brother Ralph Ray and his wife Cleo in a hard-working farm environment. When he was 18 years old, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. When he enlisted in the Navy, his recruiter emphatically brought to his attention that his name really wasn’t Ray. He went on to serve for 8 years including combat duty in the Korean War on the ammunition ship the USS Vesuvius. After the war he lived in Florida where he worked in the earthmoving and later the automobile business. In 1960 he married Mary Jacobs whose sister Joyce was marrying his brother Jimmy. For many years, Ray was an avid stock car race driver. He qualified for the Daytona 500 but to his chagrin missed the chance to participate when his sponsor backed out. In 1980, while with Susan around the time of Easter Sunday, he received Christ as his Savior and was transformed into a new man. In 1981, Ray and Susan came to GA and settled in Albany. He met Martha at Sherwood Baptist Church and they married. Ray obtained his commercial pilot's license and logged thousands of hours flying for his employer the Barkley family. In 2006, he played the role of Mr. Bridges in the faith-focused movie “Facing The Giants”. This led to many opportunities for Ray to travel all over America, speaking to various groups, testifying about the power of Christ to change lives. After he retired from the car business, he spent many happy days working with his friend Don Sanders at the Sanders farm properties, exercising his love of working with equipment and being outdoors. Ray loved to fish and boat. He loved his family and friends. He loved everything about farming, especially playing in the dirt with heavy equipment. For over 40 years, he was a faithful and committed member of Sherwood Baptist Church where he filled various roles in ministry. Services to remember Ray’s well-lived and much-loved life will be held at Sherwood Baptist Church on Tuesday, July 21 with visitation at 1:00 followed by services at 2:00. Those so desiring may make contributions in Ray’s memory to Sherwood Baptist Church.

Mr. Edgar H. "Ray" Wood

June 22, 1932 - July 18, 2026