Nancy Hughes Wood, age 62 of Greenwood, died peacefully at home on Aug. 23 after a short illness.

There will be a graveside burial service, with the Rev. Patrick Sanders, her nephew, officiating on Wednesday, Sept. 1 at 11 a.m., at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Vicksburg. She will be laid to rest in a family plot next to her beloved parents and grandparents. Nancy was an Episcopalian and attended the Church of the Nativity and also, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Vicksburg.

Nancy was born on Sept. 8, 1958, in Yazoo City to Paul J. Hughes, Sr. And Katherine “Sis” Waring Hughes and the exciting addition to her family was announced on the loudspeaker at her siblings’ elementary school. She had over 30 first cousins and was a sweet friend to each one. She was always the best supporter of her family and their children, rarely missing a family life event and was their greatest cheerleader. She was elated when she became a grandmother and fell quickly in love with her James, who equally adored his Nana. She would joyously play with him on their visits, send him surprises and recently texted with him daily on their iPads. His room was filled with her art, including a fabulous collection of illustrated paintings of the alphabet.

Nancy always had a smile, making everybody feel special and was genuinely interested in their lives. She will be remembered for her wonderful laugh and quick wit. If you were blessed to be her friend, you had a friend for life. She loved beach trips, and particularly loved sunbathing and floating in a pool. She loved to help her sister with entertaining and will be greatly missed with her talent for organizing and setting a beautiful buffet table. In the last few years, she began painting and discovered a unique and cheerful style that she lovingly shared with friends and family. She recently bought her own home and loved tending to her flowers when she wasn’t painting.

Nancy was an honor graduate of Pillow Academy, Greenwood, and attended Delta State University, University of Mississippi and Hinds Community College. Nancy and her husband, Don, with her brother, Paul, and his wife, Kim, opened Walnut Hills, a very successful restaurant in Vicksburg, which is still operating today. Kim remembers saying that she wouldn’t take on that endeavor unless Nancy was going to be on board. After that, she was a valued employee of R.R. Morrison & Sons, Central Sports, INC, and River Regions Health Systems. She also helped open and manage her sister’s restaurant Tavern in the Park.

She moved to Greenwood in 2008 to be closer to her mother and sister, and worked at Webster’s for four years, as a quite talented waitress. She soon found a job in Grenada at Advanced Distributor Products, using her skills as Maintenance Coordinator and Administrative Assistant.

Her boss at ADP wrote, “Nancy was a dedicated employee that truly loved her job. She excelled at planning and working with the suppliers. She followed up consistently and made sure that the facility maintenance team accomplished the task. We were also privileged to get a glimpse to the same dedication and devotion to her family. Her talent will be missed. We will miss our colleague and friend.”

Nancy was preceded in death by her mother and father, her brother Paul J. Hughes, Jr. and her former husband and longtime friend, Don Wood.

She is survived by her son, Taylor Hughes Wood (Mary Howard) and beloved grandson, James Taylor Wood of Chicago. She also leaves behind her sister, Pam Powers (Mo) of Greenwood, and her brother, Reed Hughes (Cyndi) of Senatobia; niece, Kara Doiron (Phillip) of Vicksburg; nephew Rev. Patrick Sanders (Jennifer) of Gulfport; niece Amy Williams, of South St. Paul, Minn.; Reed Hughes, Jr., of Nashville and Kelli Ray Valdez (Gabriel) Of Como; great-nieces and nephews, Anna Kate Doiron and Ally Doiron of Vicksburg; Skye Sanders, Asher Sanders and Ames Sanders of Gulfport; Miles Williams of Ames, Iowa; Mark Williams and Clayton Williams of South St. Paul; her namesake, Aunt Nancy Waring Redmond (Tom); Aunt Lee Waring and her many cousins.