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Updated: 22 May 2010
Created:  02 May 2010

 

Oklahoman Archives
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
March 5, 2008

Regna Lee Wood died Monday, March 3, 2008, at home on the family ranch near Spiro, Oklahoma. She was born in Oklahoma City at St. Anthony's Hospital on June 15, 1924. Her parents were Otto Lee and Bessie D. Simpson. She was baptized in the First Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City. She remained a Presbyterian all her life and for the last fifty-seven years was a member of the Presbyterian Church in Poteau, Oklahoma. On October 6, 1947, she and Fox Wood III, also an Oklahoma City native, were married in the First Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City. Their wonderful marriage lasted for more than 60 years. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last October at a dinner party for family and friends. Regna's early education was in the Oklahoma City Public Schools - Eugene Fields Grade School, Harding Junior High - where she was president of the student body, and Classen High School. After Classen, Regna enrolled in the nation's finest speech and drama school, the Speech School at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees. She was a member of Tri Delta sorority. Her major interest was acting. During her first year, the school faculty selected her as the outstanding freshman. She played leading roles in many school productions during her college years. Among her classmates were Charleton Heston and his wife Lydia, Paul Lynde, Pat Neal, Martha Hyer, Jean Verhagen, and Chloris Leachman. While at Northwestern, she was cast member in the very successful, long-running Chicago radio serial, Bachelor's Children. During WWII, while a student at Northwestern, she accumulated over 1,000 hours as a nurse's aide at Chicago's Cook County Hospital. After college, Regna returned to Oklahoma City where she was active in Little Theater productions. At 22, she was a member of the teaching staff in the Speech Department at the University of Oklahoma. In 1947, her future husband had moved to Jackson, Mississippi as a geologist with Stanolind Oil and Gas. In the fall of 1947, Millsaps College, an outstanding liberal arts college in Jackson, hired Regna to establish its first department of speech and drama. Jackson had an excellent Little Theater organization and Regna played lead roles and directed a number of productions. In 1949, Fox resigned his position with Stanolind and enrolled in Oklahoma A&M College to study animal husbandry and agronomy. When the couple moved to Stillwater, Regna secured a position in the English Department at Oklahoma A&;M. In 1950, the Woods began a farming and ranching career in Poteau.

In 1951, through the generosity of Regna's parents, they were able to acquire farm and ranch land in northern LeFlore County. In 1955, they moved to their home on Cache Creek Ranch. The ranch program involved field crops, hay, and registered and commercial Hereford cattle. Regna was an avid swimmer. Every day for the last fifty-two years, weather permitting, she drove to a nearby abandoned coal strip pit and swam a mile. When all their children were in school, Regna returned to teaching. She taught freshman English and Composition at Connors State College in Warner, Oklahoma. She made the 100 mile round trip to Warner three or four times a week. Later, Regna taught English and Speech at Westark Community College - now University of Arkansas, Fort Smith. Over the years, Regna became increasingly concerned with the poor public school background of many of her college students. After she left Westark, she devoted the rest of her life to research in literacy and public education. She became research director for the National Right to Read Foundation. Her articles on education and literacy were published in national magazines, foundation reports, and newspapers. In 1999, after she had written a complete phonics reading program, she established Sound Letters, Inc. to publish and market her program. The company holds U.S. copyrights and trademarks and a U.S. Patent on Sound Letters - a set of slightly modified alphabet letters that she designed. Regna was an exhibitor and presenter at education and literacy conferences in eight states and the District of Columbia. She was a member of the Correctional Education Assn. And her program is being used with great success in a number of prisons. When the Woods moved to LeFlore County they became active in the Republican Party on the county, state, and national level. Regna served as LeFlore County chairman and vice-chairman of the 3rd Congressional District. In 1980, she was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Dallas.

Regna was predeceased by her two sisters, Hazel Bracken and Dorothy Brawner. She is survived by her husband and three sons, Fox Wood IV, his wife Karen, and their three children - Megan, Casey and her son, Braxton; Fox V, his wife Autumn, and their daughters, Disney and Jakelyn; Clark Wood, his wife Dian, and her granddaughter, Desmynn; and Stephen Wood. Nephews and nieces are Margaret Perez, Dr. John Brawner, Mary Chambers, Dr. Sarah Thompson, and Janet, David, and Kim Bracken. In 1989, Regna was diagnosed with breast cancer. For more than 18 years she endured surgery, countless diagnostic tests, and hundreds of injections without a single complaint. She was always grateful to her surgeon, Dr. Rainey Williams, her first oncologist, Dr. Brad Slease, and to her plastic surgeon, Dr. Ed Dalton. Greatly appreciated were those who, over the years, served as her family physician - Doctors Ted Clemens, Richard Winters, Tim Coussons, and Robert Williams. In the last few months, Doctors Don Murray and William Cook helped make her more comfortable. There was a special place in her heart for Dr. Brian Geister, her oncologist for eighteen years, and his wonderful nurses and staff at Cancer Care Associates in Oklahoma City. The family is indebted to the people at Peachtree Hospice in Poteau, Oklahoma for their loving care.

Funeral services will be Thursday, March 6, 2008, at 1:00 p.m., at the Poteau Presbyterian Church, under the direction of Mallory-Martin Funeral Home of Spiro. Interment will follow at Short Mountain Cemetery near Cowlington, Oklahoma. 

 

 

 

 

 

Created:  02 May 2010
            Updated: 22 May 2010



     Complied and transcribed by Sue Hearon, 2008-2009.

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