Gertrude Eliabeth Wood

Gertrude Elizabeth Wood, 89, of Hastings, formerly of Central City, passed away peacefully at her home on March 10, 2026, surrounded by her loving family.

Born on April 5, 1936, in Lodgepole, Nebraska, to Walter and Elizabeth Flicker, Gert moved with her family to North Platte at 18 months old. She graduated from North Platte High School in 1954 and worked as a secretary for the Superintendent of Schools. On February 14, 1959, she married the love of her life, Robert “Dean” Wood, after a five-month courtship. They shared 59 years of marriage until Dean’s passing in November 2018.

Gert found joy in embroidering and creating beautiful handmade quilts. She had a lifelong fondness for pigs, collecting everything from figurines to stuffed animals, and was known as a skilled card player who loved a spirited game of pitch. A devoted Nebraska Huskers fan, she was also a cherished wife, mother, grandmother, and sister whose warmth and laughter touched everyone around her.

She is survived by her six children, Lisa Jensen (Martin) of Shelton, Lori (Mike) Slater of Berthoud, Colorado, Jim (Marcia) Wood of Clearwater, John (Beth) Wood of Coleridge, Jerry Wood of Boelus, and Lynn Wood of Hastings; sixteen grandchildren; twenty-three great-grandchildren; and her brother, Walter (Nell) Flicker of Aberdeen, Mississippi. She was preceded in death by her husband Dean, her parents, her infant sister MaryAnne, her grandson Jeremy Jensen, and many beloved in-laws.