Carrie Evelyn Wood

Carrie Evelyn Wood, 96, affectionately known as Evelyn, and longtime resident of Oak Hill, WV went to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on July 3, 2026. She was born on August 29, 1929, in Glen Rogers, West Virginia. She lived there until the age of six, when her family moved to Fairdale, West Virginia. Evelyn graduated from Trap Hill High School in 1948 and later moved to Mullens, West Virginia, to live with her aunt. There, she worked for the phone company and later spent time working at People’s Bank.

On November 3, 1951, Evelyn married Howard Smith and moved to Alpena, West Virginia. During that marriage, she became the devoted mother of two sons, Donald Howard Smith and David Dyer Smith. While living in Alpena, Evelyn worked for Dr. Roberts, the same doctor who delivered her two sons.

In September 1973, at a Sunday School picnic, Evelyn was introduced to Lawrence C. Wood. Evelyn and Lawrence were married on January 25, 1974, at Jones Avenue Church of God, where they faithfully attended until Lawrence’s passing in November 2016. Evelyn often expressed deep gratitude for Lawrence’s constant love and for the way he cared for her sons, whom he treated as his own.

Evelyn and Lawrence shared a full and joyful life together. They traveled to or through every state in the continental United States, as well as Puerto Rico, and they wintered several times in Florida. They enjoyed bowling in different leagues, where Evelyn’s highest score was 199. Together, they also led the Golden Agers at Jones Avenue Church of God for several years, organizing trips to Myrtle Beach, Old Kentucky Home, and many other destinations.

Faith and church life were central to Evelyn. She sang in the choir at Jones Avenue Church of God for many years and remained closely connected to her church community throughout her life.

Evelyn also found joy in family, friendship, cooking, games, and keeping in touch with the people she loved. She enjoyed playing cards and board games, especially Pinochle, Hearts, Golf, and Rummikub. While she was able, she enjoyed catching up with friends and acquaintances from her past on Facebook, and she remained in contact with friends from Alpena throughout her life. Evelyn was always close to her two sisters, and while they were able, they spoke on the phone every day.

After Lawrence passed away, Evelyn moved to Winchester to live with her son David and his wife at the time, Heather. She lived with David for four years before moving to Roanoke, where she became a resident of South Roanoke Nursing Home.

Evelyn was preceded in death by her husband, Lawrence C. Wood; her parents, Haven Claypool and Leva Claypool; her sister, Mary Rose Lacy; and her stepdaughter, Pamela Channell’s husband, Don Channell.

She is survived by her sons, Donald Smith and David Smith; her daughter-in-law, Kathy Smith; Donald and Kathy’s daughters, Sydney Smith and Peyton Smith; David’s partner, Sherry Coleman; David’s sons, Zachary Smith, Elijah Smith, and Collin Smith; Elijah’s wife, Emily Funkhouser; and her sister, Ruth Ann Byrd.

Evelyn is also survived by her stepdaughter Pamela Channell; her stepdaughter Melody McClung and Melody’s husband, Fred Keefer; and four step-grandchildren, Shelly Thomas, Larry Whitmore, Stephanie Hankins, and Josh Rice as well as numerous great-grandchildren.

The family would like to thank the staff at South Roanoke Nursing Home for the loving care they provided Evelyn for the 5+ years in which she was a resident. She was an avid bingo player while she was there and collected enough tickets from her winnings to buy every item in their regularly scheduled auctions ten times over. The staff were always very attentive to Evelyn’s needs. And, especially at the end, they went out of their way to make her as comfortable as possible.

A service honoring Evelyn’s life will be held on July 12, 2026, at 2:30 at Jones Avenue Church of God in Oak Hill, WV with Rev. Patricia Franklin officiating. Friends may call from 1:30 PM until service time on Sunday at the church. Entombment will be at High Lawn Memorial Park Mausoleum, Oak Hill, WV. A dinner for friends and family will be held at the Jones Avenue Church of God following the graveside service.

Pallbearers will be Zachary Smith, Elijah Smith, Collin Smith, Sydney Smith, Peyton Smith and Fred Keefer.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.highlawnfuneralhome.com.