Alice Mendoza Wood, devoted mother and wife of nearly 70 years, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 9 at the age of 91. She instilled a sense of service into her six children with her active involvement in numerous church and community activities. Alice was dedicated to issues of social justice fighting for fair housing as a member of the Greater Dallas Housing Opportunity Council. She also was a staunch education advocate serving on the school board of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas. Alice taught reading for more than a decade at St. Cecilia Elementary and the Notre Dame School. She also worked in the computer records department at W.A. Blair Elementary in Dallas before retiring to Quitman, Texas where she continued to volunteer with the Northeast Texas Child Advocacy Center, the Wood County Democrats and the Quitman Chamber of Commerce, receiving recognition as volunteer of the year.
A native of San Antonio, Alice married her husband G.L. in 1949 and moved to Dallas where they raised six children. She also opened their home to foreign students attending SMU, and Catholic clergy looking for a home-cooked meal or a game of dominoes.
Alice is survived by her husband, G.L.; her daughters, Sandra Jones, Diana Aldridge and Donna Wood; her sons, Richard, Paul and Sean Wood; her sons-in-law, John Jones and Frank Aldridge; her daughters-in-law, Diane Wood and Isabel Comas Wood; her granddaughters, Valerie Jones, Olivia Comas Wood and Elena Comas Wood; her grandson, Adam, his wife Merrill, and great-grandsons Penn and Adler; her grandson, Nathan; grandson Colin, his wife Kristen, and great-grandson Caleb; grandsons, Daniel and Andrés-Román Comas Wood.
The funeral mass will be Wednesday, Jan. 16, 11 a.m. at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 1111 W. Danieldale Road, Duncanville. Committal will follow at 1:30 p.m. at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas. For family members and those traveling, we will be serving a light breakfast from 9:30 to 10:30 in the parish hall at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. There will also be a gathering for family & friends with food and drink after the service from 2:30 to 6:00 p.m at The Claridge, 3510 Turtle Creek Blvd, Dallas.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Alice Wood Memorial Scholarship Fund at Bishop Dunne Catholic School. The fund will help provide a Bishop Dunne education for students and families in need of financial assistance. Please contact Lydia Torrez, Director of Advancement at [email protected] or 469.291.1775.
