Margaret Cashwell Wood, 85, of Fayetteville passed away on June 28th at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center after a courageous battle with cancer. Funeral services will be held Friday, July 1st at 11:00 am at Haymount United Methodist Church with burial to follow at the Big Rockfish Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

Margaret was the daughter of the late Arthur Dixon Cashwell and Elizabeth MacDonald Cashwell and was also preceded in death by brother Malcolm D. Cashwell, brother Richard B. Cashwell, sister Emily Cashwell Johnson, brother Tom Cashwell, and sister Frances Cashwell Kennedy.

Born on October 19, 1930, the fourth of twelve children, Margaret grew up on a farm outside of Hope Mills, N.C. helping with the farm chores and assisting with the younger siblings, often entertaining them with her original story tales. After graduating from Hope Mills High School she attended Flora McDonald College where she earned a degree in home economics with a teaching career in mind. While completing her student teaching, her instructor declared her to be a natural born teacher and Margaret proceeded to live up to this prediction throughout both her professional and personal life. She started her career at Massey Hill School in 1953 teaching eighth grade and then moved to Hope Mills School in 1962 where she taught eighth grade English and history. In the late sixties she transitioned to high school home economics. Moving to South View High School in 1972 she continued in home economics where she developed a new curriculum around home decor called Home Furnishing Services in which students learned principals of home decorating and skills such as, drapery making, furniture upholstering, and wooden furniture restoration. This successful curriculum was adopted by the state and won the Secretary's Award from the U.S. Department of Education for excellence in vocational education. Margaret retired from the Cumberland County school system in 1984 but remained involved in the educational system through her membership in the North Carolina Retired School Personnel. She served as vice president and then president of the Cumberland County RSP and later as District 10 president. In 2013 she was recognized at the NCRSP state convention with its Distinguished Service Award for her service and contributions to the organization. Throughout her teaching career she was highly regarded by peers and students alike. While known as demanding in the class, she was better known for her love of her students and compassion for them to succeed in all areas of life. Each morning started with a devotion and prayer for her students. Years after leaving teaching former students would approach her and tell her of the enormous positive impact she had on them.

Margaret's teaching and influence did not stop in the classroom. She impacted scores of people through teaching Sunday school, leading Bible studies, offering Christian counsel to friends and family, and just through living her faith in Christ. You could not know Margaret and not know of her faith in God. In her retirement years a significant portion of her time was devoted to a senior citizen group she lead with her husband Worth that provided a variety of Christian fellowship activities to the members.

Of all of her life work the dearest to her heart was her ministry at the Cumberland Regional Juvenile Detention Center. For thirty years Margaret and Worth volunteered at the center teaching and counseling the incarcerated children providing a positive impact on youth that often had no such influence in their lives. After retiring from this service in 2014, Margaret and Worth were awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine for their service to the detention center.

Margaret will be remembered in many ways. Some will remember her as a teacher, many as a servant, others as a leader, most as a friend, and as an inspiration to all. To her many nieces and nephews, she is remembered as a loving aunt that always had time for them. To her husband and son, the best wife and mother they could have ever imagined. The common thread through each of these roles was her love of Christ and a heart for sharing His good news of love and salvation with all.

She is survived by husband Waymon W. Wood, Sr. of Fayetteville and by son Waymon W. Wood, Jr. and wife Robin of Garner, N.C. She is also survived by her sisters Sara Donaldson, Mary Frasche' (Denny), Prudy Bradley (Larry), and Janet Holt (Henry), and by her brothers Laughlin (Don) Cashwell (Hilda), and Angus Cashwell (Belinda).

The family will receive friends from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Thursday June 30th at Jernigan Warren Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to either the Marlin M. Stewart Scholarship Fund or the Dayton A. Dawson Endowment Fund for Underprivileged Children, both at the Haymount United Methodist Church, or a charity of your choice.