Velva Jean Wood

Velva Jean Mullins Wood, age 82, a longtime resident of Stevens County, passed away on March 8, 2026 in Addy, Washington.

Jean was born on March 10, 1943 in Lorado, West Virginia, the daughter of Boyd and Ocie Bell (Blankenship) Mullins. At the age of ten she lost her mother and soon after moved to Norfolk, Virginia to live with her older sister. There she met Navy serviceman Glen Wood, and they married on July 1, 1960 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

Together Jean and Glen built a loving home that grew from four children to six. Jean legally adopted and raised Glen’s children as her own, nurturing their family through many moves tied to his military service in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Rota Spain, Charleston, South Carolina, and Lynnwood, Washington. When Glen retired, they settled on the Wood family ranch in Gifford, where Jean embraced farm life, milking cows, gardening, harvesting, canning, feeding livestock, haying, and operating the tractor and combine. In their later years they served as caretakers of the Colville cemeteries, continuing to help others until the end.

Jean was known for her boundless energy and many talents. An accomplished bowler, she competed with local friends, qualified for national tournaments, and won numerous awards. She was a gifted seamstress, crocheter, and knitter, an avid gardener who grew beautiful flowers, and a lifelong learner. A devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she served a mission with Glen in 2002 at the Family History Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and found deep joy in genealogy. Above all, Jean cherished her large family. She frequently visited relatives in West Virginia and poured her love into her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, always crocheting blankets for new babies and cooking and gardening for those she held dear.

She was preceded in death by her husband Glen in 2020, her children Dale, Glenna, Jolynne, and Cindy, a grandson Christopher Wood, and all twelve of her siblings. Jean is survived by her sons Stewart Wood (Bev) of Addy, Washington, and Aaron Wood (Tracy) of West Haven, Utah, 19 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren, and a wide circle of nieces, nephews, and dear friends.