James Eugene Woods, 71, was born to James Edward and Marguerite Gordy Woods on May 25, 1944. He entered God's Kingdom of Heaven on August 13, 2015.

He graduated from Forrest City Arkansas High School in 1962. He attended Centenary College in Shreveport, LA, Washington University in St. Louis, MO, and finished at the University of Memphis.

Gene worked in the Trust Department at First Tennessee Bank before joining Wilkinson and Snowden, Inc. in 1971, now Colliers International Memphis Branch. He was with the company until his death, and he served as Treasurer, President, and Chairman of the Board at Colliers.

Honored to have been in the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR), Gene served as a Regional Vice President and as President of the Memphis Chapter. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Memphis Area Association of Realtors (MAAR) for two terms, was awarded the Presidential Award in 1992, and served as President in 1994.

As a man of faith, Gene was on the Board of and was a Lay Director for the Emmaus Community. He was also a member of the Board for the Salvation Army for 16 years, often locating vacant warehouses for the Angel Tree Christmas Gift Center.

As a former member of Calvary Episcopal Church in downtown Memphis, he was a Senior Warden of the Vestry and a soloist for the Calvary Choir. He later was Chairman of the Diaconate at Second Presbyterian Church.
Now at St. Mary's Cathedral, he was recently a Chairman of the Stewardship Committee and also served on the Finance Committee as Treasurer.

These are the service-oriented positions that Gene held with a willing and caring heart. However, the things that we as family and friends will remember and hold onto are the love he had for others, the kindnesses that go unsung but are cherished by the recipients, the loyalty he had for his business family, and the integrity that was the cornerstone of his character.

He died at home in Highlands, North Carolina, with his beloved wife Gail and his two sons Peter and Taylor. Due to increasing illness, it was unclear if he would be strong enough to return to his home that he loved in the mountains. Once his medical team felt he was strong enough to return, he traveled with his family throughout the night to live out his final days on earth there. What a blessing it has been for the four of us to be together even at the end: the four of us were together, and we saw him comfortable and at peace until his journey home.

Visitation will be 5-7 pm Wednesday, August 26th at Canale Funeral Directors, 2700 Union Ave Extended, Memphis, TN 38112. The Celebration of his Life will be 10:30 am Thursday, August 27th at St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, 700 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN 38105, with a light lunch afterwards.

The family and anyone who wants to join them will leave St. Mary's to go to Loughridge Cemetery outside of Wynne, AR after lunch for the burial service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to St. Mary's Episcopal Church or the Salvation Army, 696 Jackson Ave, Memphis, TN 38105

Online condolences can be made at www.canalefuneraldirectors.com