Cecil Reynolds Woods On Friday, January 11, 2019, Cecil Reynolds Woods, beloved mother, grandmother and great grandmother passed away at the amazing age of 109. Cecil was born in Eatonton, Georgia on December 31, 1909 to Tom and Estelle Reynolds. She moved with her parents and three brothers to Huntsville, Alabama in 1912. Cecil graduated from Huntsville High School in 1926. After graduating she attended a business finishing school. She met her husband of 52 years, Guy Frazier Woods in 1933 at a dance on Lookout Mountain, TN. Cecil had four sons: Austin "Buck" Couch, Guy Reynolds Woods, Thomas Drake Woods and Kenneth Ray Woods. Together the family lived all over the Southeast from Atlanta to Tallahassee to Chattanooga and finally put down roots in Miami, Florida. Even with the responsibilities of a large family, Cecil always had time to kindle her love of business. In Atlanta she worked at Lerner Shops where she would win a silver dollar each week for being the top salesperson. At this time the sweater twin set came into fashion. Cecil saw this trend and it became her uniform helping her to sell them at a record pace. In 1944 in Chattanooga they bought a family home for $5000 and two years later they sold the home for $10,000. Always business savvy, Cecil envisioned her future as a real estate leader. In 1946 in Miami she and Guy built their first home in a new area south of Miami called Coral Gables as Guy took a job with John Sexton Company, a wholesale food business. From 1948 to 1951 she represented the Welcome Wagon firm that greeted new families in southern Florida. She made friends everywhere she lived throughout her life. Her smile and her laughter could brighten any room and all who knew her felt honored to be her friend. Cecil was an outstanding seamstress whose love of fashion spanned her entire lifetime. She started her own design business making and altering dresses for women which eventually led to her completing an Associate Art degree in fashion design. She loved sewing and truly enjoyed making clothing for her grandchildren and eventually great grandchildren. She made all of her own clothing from casual to formal gowns. Her style and fashion sense were always admired. In 1958 Cecil joined Guy at John Sexton and became their first female sales person. She helped him to double his sales territory by cultivating contacts with dorm and sorority housemothers at University of Miami. They both retired from Sexton in 1962 and decided to return to real estate opening their own firm, Cecil R. Woods Real Estate. Eventually moving to the Orlando area, they brought the business along. She was never one to slow down. In 1986 at the age of 77 she went from selling homes to developing communities. She bought 100 acres, putting in the infrastructure and selling lots to local builders. She continued selling real estate until the tender age of 100. Her entire family looked on in amazement as she moved from place to place if the "deal was right." Another passion of Cecil's was cooking. She loved to cook for her family and friends and they were happy to sit at her table and eat her amazing Southern cooking. She was famous for her banana pudding, rolls, sweet rolls, pot roast, carrot cake and her Thanksgiving dressing which is still made every year by her grandchildren. One Christmas at Marsh's Edge, she made four dozen mini banana bread loaves and wrapped them up in festive gift bags. She delivered them to her friends early that morning so they would receive a surprise on Christmas morning. As she was delivering her goodies, she came across a new resident who was feeling low. She welcomed him and took time to lift his spirits while giving him a loaf of banana bread. What a truly amazing woman! Many people have wondered about the secret to her longevity. Most of her family and friends would say it was her inspiring positive attitude which she attributed to her faith and relationship with Christ. She was an eternal optimist whose attitude of gratitude guided her every step. She saw good in all people and instead of dwelling on negativity, spent her time loving, learning and always growing. To know Cecil was to love her and to aspire to be like her. She will be missed and remembered by her family: her sons: Guy Reynolds Woods and Kenneth Ray Woods, her daughters-in-law: Christina Woods and Susan Woods, her grandchildren: Jennie Couch, Lori Couch Brooks, Kathryn Woods Zeuthen, Jean Woods Lanctot, Kevin Burress Woods, Matthew Thomas Woods, her grandsons-in-law: Tom Zeuthen and Jim Lanctot, her granddaughter-in-law Anna Margaret Woods and her nine great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers Cecil would love for you to make a donation to either of her favorite charities: The Salvation Army or The Wounded Warrior Project. Please join her family and friends at Marsh's Edge this Friday, January 18th from 2-4 to celebrate a life well lived.