Pat Wood

Patricia Ann Alexander Wood, of Waco, Texas, was welcomed into the loving arms of her Lord and Savior on October 27, 2025. A woman of uncommon grace, beauty, and strength, she lived a life devoted to faith, family, and service. The celebration of her life will be at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 8, at the First Baptist Church of Waco, Texas. A reception will be held following the service in the church parlor.

Patricia was born in Alvin, Texas, on April 3, 1934, the ninth of ten children to Charles and Helen Alexander. She graduated from Alvin High School and attended Baylor University, where she was named a Baylor Beauty. She carried a special grace throughout her years, becoming known not only for her outer beauty but for her warmth, faith, and steadfast spirit that radiated from within. She was very proud that her two children and two grandsons became the third and fourth generations of Alexanders to become Baylor Bears.

Patricia married her Baylor college sweetheart and soulmate, John A. Wood, on August 3, 1954, and began a 67-year partnership in Christian ministry that began in Kentucky and then continued in Texas and throughout five continents. Together they pastored three churches in Kentucky: First Baptist Church in Graefenburg, Russellville, and Paducah before returning to Waco to pastor the First Baptist Church. After retiring from church service, John and Pat established John Wood Ministries and built some of the first Christian churches in Russia and Ukraine after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. For their work saving countless lives through training Ukrainian surgeons in Waco for off-pump heart bypass surgery, they received the Ukraine President’s Merit Award, the highest award given in Ukraine to foreign citizens. President Victor Yushchenko personally thanked Dr. and Mrs. Wood by visiting their home in Waco, Texas, in 2012.

Patricia was not only a pastor’s wife—she was a true partner in the gospel, teaching, mentoring, and nurturing others with extraordinary grace. Her home in Waco, decorated with art and treasures from their ministry travels all over the world, was always open to her church and Baylor family, as well as friends and neighbors. She loved to set a beautiful table with the finest things she owned and perfectly arranged her flowers to suit the occasion, whether welcoming guests for Sunday lunch, hosting missionaries, or organizing church gatherings. Patricia’s hospitality reflected her faith and heart for people. Always preparing food herself, including her indescribable homemade rolls and desserts for family, friends, strangers, and shut-ins, serving food was Patricia’s love language. Her talents were also reflected in the beautiful needlepoint items she so lovingly created, all to be shared with both family and friends.

While the list of Patricia’s accomplishments could fill a book, her true heart and soul can best be understood by what her friends have written about her since her recent passing:

“She radiated God’s love so beautifully… so truly beautiful inside and out…”

“Pat embodies the concept of the beautiful and compassionate friend and caregiver, with a servant’s heart, always looking for a way to help or nurture someone else. And she served with beauty, grace, and love.”

“She was a wonderful friend, a beautiful mentor, and a perfect example of a wife, a mother, and a Christian. She gave love to everyone she met, and we are thankful that we received that love and care so many times.”

“No matter where we were, she never let me leave without saying, ‘I love you good!’ That is one of the memories I will cherish the rest of my life.”

“The most amazing, beautiful, talented, loving, kind, giving, unselfish, delightful, unbelievable lady ever.”

While Patricia spent a lifetime loving her neighbors as herself, her family was blessed to know her pure love on a daily basis. She was as loving a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother as anyone could ever have. Of all her titles, her favorite was “Granny Gran.” Her two grandsons, JT and Garrison, were raised in McLean, Virginia, but spent every summer living at “Camp Granny Gran” before coming back to their original hometown of Waco to attend Baylor and to be close to their grandparents—and Granny Gran’s cooking. They will always cherish their Sunday lunches at her home with all their Baylor friends and special Friday hamburger getaways.

Patricia Wood was preceded in death by her parents and nine siblings.

She is survived by her son, John Alexander Wood of Waco; her daughter, Lea Ann Wood Edwards, and her husband, former Congressman Chet Edwards of Waco; her grandson, John Thomas (JT) Edwards, and his wife, Lily Myatt Edwards, and her great-grandson, Andersen “Andy” Chet Edwards, of Ft. Worth; and her grandson, Garrison Alexander Edwards, and his wife, Gwen Gagne Edwards, of Waco; and her three great-grandchildren, Elena Renee Edwards, Jack Allen Edwards, and Ace Alexander Edwards.

We invite you to leave a message or memory of Patricia in her “Memorial Guestbook” at www.WHBfamily.com.