Gladys Arlene Woods

Gladys was born July 31, 1932 in Jamestown, NY to Percy and Ida Stanton Phillips. She graduated from Frewsburg High School in 1949. She had one brother, Percy who was 6 years older than Gladys. In 1949 a group of churches in Frewsburg, NY joined together and held a revival meeting in a tent on the carnival grounds. Gladys turned her life over to Jesus on Monday, June 6. The speaker was Henry Crowell from Moody. Gladys’ mother had taken a number of correspondence courses from Moody and had always wanted her to attend there.

Brother Percy had been at Moody 1 year and when he came home that summer he and Gladys were baptized together in a nearby creek. It was a very meaningful service. Gladys went with Percy to Chicago for the fall trimester at Moody in August 1950. While on the train to Chicago God gave Gladys Joshua 1:9 as her life verse. Little did she know how many times and in how many places she would rely on that verse.

While at Moody she met Marvin (Bud) Woods and they were married on July 31, 1953.That fall they moved to Miami, Florida for Bud to attend Embry Riddle School of Aviation. Gladys worked for Jefferson Stores Service Department in Accounts Payable. Marlene was born in Miami in 1955. Bud and Gladys returned to Frewsburg where they lived for a year. Bud had Mission aviation as his goal. There were very few opportunities in aviation in western New York at that time so they moved to Denver, Colorado. Julie was born there in 1956.

In 1958 they moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma for Bud to take the Flight Engineer’s course at Spartan School of Aeronautics. Gladys worked in Accounts Payable for Frougs Department Store in Tulsa. United Airlines hired Bud to work as a Maintenance Engineer in Chicago. Gladys worked in Accounts Payable at United while they were in Chicago.

From Chicago they transferred to Los Angeles, California. There Gladys worked at Bendix Computer Division in Accounts Payable. Because of a UAL layoff they transferred to Seattle, Washington to be near Bud’s family. Son Craig was born in August, 1961 while they lived there.

Various circumstances led them in 1964 to apply to Wycliffe Bible Translators to serve in their Aviation program. They attended the linguistics training at their first short course in Norman, Oklahoma where Bud also took his Aviation evaluation. Then followed Jungle training in southern Mexico and JAARS orientation in Waxhaw, NC.

They served in Miami, Florida; Quito, Ecuador; Bogota, Colombia; Nairobi, Kenya and Yaounde, Cameroon. Until recently Gladys continued to serve in the Accounting Dept. at JAARS in Waxhaw. Health problems and the pandemic changed that, but Gladys continued at home with a prayer ministry.

Gladys was preceded in death by her parents, one brother, and her beloved husband Bud. She is survived by her daughters, Marlene (Mark) Staples and Julie (Tim) Staples, her son Craig (Brenda) Woods, 11 grandchildren and 31 great grandchildren.

Have not I commanded thee, be strong and of a good courage. Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed for the Lord, thy God is with there whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be given to Wycliff Bible Translators "Help Advance Bible Translation Around the World" https://www.wycliffe.org/projects/worldwide-projects-fund-11 project, or to Hermon Baptist Church, Waxhaw, NC "Lottie Moon Christmas Offering" https://www.hermonbaptist.org/give