Share Meta Mcmanus Wood's obituary with others.
Invite friends and family to read the obituary and add memories.
Stay updated
We'll notify you when service details or new memories are added.
You're now following this obituary
We'll email you when there are updates.
Select your format and elements to print
IN LOVING MEMORY OF Meta Mcmanus Wood
Meta Mcmanus
Wood
Feb 17, 1929 — Jun 8, 2021
Lumberton
Meta Mcmanus Wood's Obituary
Meta Bell McManus Wood, age 92, of Lumberton, NC, passed peacefully from
this life on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, at her home in the Wesley Pines Retirement
Community following lunch with friends and a group sing-along.
She
was born in Red Springs on February 17, 1929, a daughter of the late Murray
McDonald and the late Mattie Malpass McManus. After her mother's death
when Meta was age 10, she found a second mother in her beloved
stepmother, Fannie Harris McManus.
Meta attended Red Springs High School, where she first met her
husband of 56 years, George Harold Wood. She earned a degree in
medical technology from the Woman's College of the University of
North Carolina in Greensboro (now UNC-G) and worked for doctors
in Lumberton and Durham for several years after graduation. She and
Harold married in 1952, and Meta redirected her time and energy to
caring for their family that grew to include six children.
Harold's career
as a semi-professional baseball player, and later as an educator and
school principal, moved the family around NC and beyond. The
majority of their family life was spent in NC in Lumberton, Snow Hill,
West End, Deep River Community, and Roanoke Rapids. After
Harold's retirement in 1988, Meta and Harold settled in Lumberton.
They spent many happy days playing area golf courses before
Harold's death in 2008.
Meta had a lifelong passion for nature and was an avid birdwatcher
and gardener. She considered having flowers in every room of the
house the ultimate luxury. Meta wanted to share her enthusiasm for
creating beautiful landscapes and was active in garden clubs
throughout her life. She was a faithful member of Chestnut Street
United Methodist Church and created arrangements from her own
gardens for Sunday church services for many years. She enjoyed
playing bridge with her pals, having friends join her for a chat in her
front porch rocking chairs, and watching and feeding the numerous
birds and squirrels in her yard. Friends and family will remember
Meta as a skilled painter, seamstress, interior designer, and floral
arranger. She was an avid reader and discovered a passion for
writing late in life. She loved attending author Jill McCorkle's writing
class at Wesley Pines and looked forward to every new assignment.
Along with her parents, Meta was predeceased by her husband, Harold; her oldest daughter,
Pamela Wood Dundas; a granddaughter, Mary Aldridge Wood; two sisters,
Marie McManus and Marjorie Buchanan; and a brother, Murray
McManus, Jr.
She is survived by her twin brother, Max McManus of Webster, NC; a
sister, Martha Moore of Cornelius, NC; a son-in-law, Ralph Dundas of
Fredericksburg, VA; her children: Patricia Wood (Ed Long) of Raleigh,
NC, Anna Readling (Keith) of Cary, NC, and Beverly Wood of Cary, NC,
George Wood (Titian) and grandson Ethan of Clayton, NC, Ben
Wood (Sallyann) and granddaughter Ann Bryant of Garner; NC; and
many treasured nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends prior to the service on Saturday, June 19, 2021, from 10:00-11:00 AM at Chestnut Street
United Methodist Church, 200 E. 8
th
Street in Lumberton, NC. Following the visitation, a memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM in the sanctuary.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Meta's memory to:
Chestnut Street United Methodist Church, 200 E. 8
th
Street, Lumberton,
NC 28358, or to any favorite charity.
To send flowers with our preferred florist or plant a memorial tree, please visit our flower store.
Funeral Services for Meta Mcmanus Wood
Visitation
June
19
Saturday
Chestnut Street United Methodist Church
10:00 - 11:00 am
Memorial Service
June
19
Saturday
Chestnut Street United Methodist Church
Starts at 11:00 am
Meta Mcmanus Wood's Guestbook
Visits: 0
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors