Brenda W. Hood, 76, of Covington, died Monday, June 19, 2017, after a brief illness. Born in Thomasville, North Carolina, on Feb. 21, 1941, Mrs. Hood was the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Pernell Burton Wood. She received her Master’s degree in English from Appalachian State University (Boone, North Carolina) where she met her husband Robert Neil Hood. He asked her to marry him on their first date and she accepted. They were married in 1962.
In 1967, Neil and Brenda moved to Madison, Florida, with their two children to teach at North Florida Junior College. Brenda later took a high school teaching job in Valdosta, and the family lived there until 1982 when both Neil and Brenda accepted positions at Newton County High School in Covington. Brenda was a well-respected and beloved teacher, retiring from NCHS a few years after Neil’s death in 1994.
After her retirement, Brenda spent her time doting on her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, playing both duplicate and ladies’ bridge, spending time at her mountain cabin in Blairsville, becoming proficient at creating beautiful wire-wrapped jewelry, and watching Jeopardy. For many years, she continued to attend UGA football games with her friends Jean and C.T. McWilliams as she had done with Neil. Brenda’s trip to China in 2004 with her friend Paula Travis was a highlight of this period.
Mrs. Hood is survived by her daughter Leslie Paige Hood (wife, Cindy Hayes) of Monroe; son Burton Reid Hood of Athens; grandchildren Carson Elizabeth Neal (husband, James) of Valdosta, Dylan Hood Cheney, Sarah Elizabeth Hood, and Michael Boone Hood, all of Monroe; great-grandchildren Mary Katherine Neal, Sam Neal, and Matthew Neal of Valdosta; sister Connie Prevost (husband, Gregg) of Charlotte, North Carolina; and several nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held on July 15, 2017, at 11 a.m. at the Chapel of the Wheeler Funeral Home in Covington. Family will receive friends starting at 10:30 a.m.
Flowers will be accepted or in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Brenda’s name to the Newton County Library, 7116 Floyd St. NE, Covington GA 30014.
