Sarah Wood

Sarah Wood, age 89, of Hiawassee, Ga. went from this life to her Heavenly reward, on May 30, 2023.  She was born Sarah Etta Collett, on September 9, 1933 to Greenberry and Alice Collett, being the youngest of 6 children. At 17, Sarah married Willie Junior Wood, having two daughters Linda and Brenda. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband and her siblings, Glenn and Billy Collett, Halmond Collett, Nellie Strickland, and Dorothy Williams.  She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Brenda and Jack Brannock; her daughter, Linda Alston; her granddaughters, Christy Johnson and Tiffany Morse, Tiffany’s husband, Chris Morse; and grandchildren, Abigail and Daniel Morse, As well as a host of nieces and nephews. 

She was a former resident of East Point, Georgia, who came to live in Hiawassee with her daughter in 1998, after suffering a life altering brain aneurysm.

She was a devoted Christian.  She was always helping someone. She always had at least two if not three projects going on all of the time.

One of her many passions was volunteering at Reece Center for Handicapped Horsemanship, a non-profit equestrian center where children with all levels of challenges could come and learn to ride horses.  The therapy they received helped with issues of balance and cognitive learning.

Every Friday for years, she would make home cooked meals. Often paying for all of the ingredients out of her own pocket. She feed some 25 volunteers a week.

At Christmas, she threw an elaborate Christmas party for all of the students and their families.  Each student and all of their siblings received a huge Christmas stocking filled with goodies she had gathered throughout the year. 

Because of her many years of volunteering at the center, In 1998, she was presented with the Tommy Nobis volunteer of the year award, from the Atlanta Alliance on Developmental Disabilities.

Due to challenges from her aneurysm, she went to live at the Chatague Nursing Home in 2011 until her death.  

Even in the nursing home she found ways to serve.  For all of the major holidays, she would write cards for all of the residents and staff on her hall. She would wait until everyone was in the dining hall for breakfast and out of their rooms.  She would roll down the hall and put a card on each of the beds, leaving it as a special surprise for the residents when they returned to their rooms.  One lady on her hall, actually cried because she told Mother she had never received a card from anyone in her entire life. 

One day she asked David, one of the activity staff about starting a Sunday School class. David replied, “Well I don’t know if I could have the time to study for a class. Sarah replied,” Well I‘ll tell you what, you go home and pray about and come in the morning and tell me what your answer is. Needless to say, the Sunday school class started a few weeks later.

If you would like to honor Sarah, contributions can be sent to Camp Honanna, 2201 Pope Rd, Hiawassee, ga 30546.  This is a free Christian summer camp pointing kids to Christ.

Funeral services will be held in the Chapel of Ingram Funeral Home 2:00 PM Saturday June 3, 2023 with Rev. Terry Marbut officiating. Interment will follow in Sawnee View Gardens. The family will receive friends on Saturday from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. 

Ingram Funeral Home, 210 Ingram Ave., Cumming, GA 30040 in charge of arrangements.