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Longtime Bluefield College friend Rudolph Malcolm Wood, the husband of alumnus and former BC trustee Helen Siner Wood, died August 7, 2008.

August 7, 2008

Longtime Bluefield College friend Rudolph Malcolm Wood, the husband of alumnus and former BC trustee Helen Siner Wood, died August 7, 2008.    

Mr. Wood was a graduate of the University of Virginia, who earned two masters' degrees in theology and divinity and a doctorate degree in ministry from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary before becoming a Virginia Baptist pastor at Preddy's Creek Baptist Church and Oak Chapel in Charlottesville, Cut Bank Baptist Church in McKenney, Rustburg Baptist Church in Lynchburg, and Belmont Baptist Church in Charlottesville.    

Appointed by the International Baptist Mission Board, along with his wife, to the mission field in 1964, he served first as pastor of the International Baptist Church in Luxembourg and later was instrumental in establishing and pastoring two International Baptist Churches in Belgium. He also served on the Home Mission Committee of the European Baptist Federation.    

Following retirement, he served as interim director of missions of the then Albemarle Baptist Association in Charlottesville, and as interim pastor of many churches all around Virginia. He also served on numerous mission teams in Louisiana, Africa, and Eastern Europe.    

"The past year has been a special one for us," said Mrs. Wood about the last year of her husband's life. "We have long attempted to milk the best from each day, see the beauty and appreciate God's gifts to us, but that was intensified during the hours we have spent together dealing with this new stage of our journey."    

Just prior to his death, the Woods celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, marked by a special dinner and tributes from family and friends. Mr. Wood also, just prior to his passing, was able to attend a family reunion, seeing 12 of his 18 first cousins.    

"It was a beautiful closure for a life well lived," Mrs. Wood said.    

Mrs. Wood is a 1954 graduate of Bluefield College. After BC, she attended Westhampton College before a long career in ministry and mission with Virginia Baptists, including 15 years as a missionary with her husband in Belgium. Her commitment to her alma mater includes a long tenure on the BC Board of Trustees.

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