Hannelore (Lora) Wood

Hannelore (Lora) Wood peacefully passed away at her home in Biloxi, Mississippi on September 30, 2021 at the age of 84. She is survived by her three daughters: Jacqueline Campbell of Battle Mountain, NV, Deborah Yates of Long Beach, MS, and Patricia Emery of Rusk, TX. Additionally, there are seven grandchildren and nine great grandchildren who now miss their Nana. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Billy E. Wood; by her parents, Fritz and Karola Bober; as well as all nine of her brothers and sisters. She would not forgive any of us if we failed to mention her three sons-in-law, whom she loved beyond measure: Shane Campbell, Eddie Yates, and Troy Emery. Hannelore was born on August 14, 1937 in Berlin, Germany to Fritz Karl Traugott Bober and Karola Pauline Anna (Schmidt) Bober. After moving to Canada at age 21 as an au pair, she came to the United States to visit her sister in Texas. At a local dance she met the love of her live, Billy E. Wood. They married shortly afterwards, in August 1960. With Billy serving in the Navy, they lived in several locations including Texas, California, and the Bahamas, before settling on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1970 when he was first stationed here at the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport. Military deployments often took Billy away from home, which he left in Hannelore’s competent care. Hannelore and Billy shared many hobbies and interests over their lifetime together. They were members of the Gulf Coast Modulators Citizen Ban Radio Club for many years. Additionally, they were both extremely active in local Gem and Mineral clubs here on the coast as well as in Enid, Oklahoma where they lived for a short time after Katrina. Even after Billy’s death in 2015, Hannelore remained a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism for over thirty years. In addition to raising their own three girls, and spoiling her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Hannelore played a crucial role of taking care of dozens of children during their formative years while their parents were at work or even away overseas. To this day, many of them also still called her “Nana”, and she truly loved each and every one of them as if they were her own blood. When the oldest two girls were young, Hannelore was the leader of their Girl Scout troop and remained in contact with several of the girls throughout their lives. Likewise, many of their high school friends stayed in contact with Hannelore and would often visit her whenever they were back on the Coast. The number of lives she touched with her love and light is immeasurable. The number of hearts that are aching right now is palpable. Thank you for sharing our grief, but also in allowing us time to mourn quietly as a family. Hannelore’s wishes were to be cremated without ceremony. The family will schedule a private celebration of her life sometime after the new year. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers you please send donations to The Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service by visiting their website www.lirs.org if you are inspired to do so. Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Hannelore (Lora) Wood.