Gene Loyd Woods

Gene Loyd Woods, 83, of Kingsley, Iowa, passed away Thursday, June 25, 2026.

Memorial service will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at Kingsley Funeral Home & Monument in Kingsley, IA with Pastor Marty Young officiating. Visitation with family present will be 10 a.m. until service time on Wednesday at the funeral home. Celebration of life to follow the service at the funeral home. Services have been entrusted to Kingsley Funeral Home & Monument in Kingsley, IA. kingsleyfh.com

She was born January 27, 1943, in Holstein, Iowa, to William and Anne (Raymond) Droegmiller. Gene grew up in Washta, Iowa, and was proud to call herself a Valley Girl for her entire life — it was a title she wore with joy and never let go of.

Right out of high school, she married the love of her life, Ray Woods, and the two shared an extraordinary 64 years together. Their home was never just a house — it was a gathering place, full of warmth, food, laughter, and an open door for anyone who needed it.

Gene was a woman of many talents and passions. She spent 16 years at Hope's Fashion Farm in Cherokee as a buyer for the dress shop, making regular trips to New York City — and if you knew Gene, you heard the stories. She later worked at the bank in Pierson and found a special joy working as a cook in the area schools, feeding the community she loved so dearly.

Family and friends were the heartbeat of Gene's life. She never missed a concert, a performance, or a moment to cheer someone on. She was "mom" to everyone in the room — not just her own boys — and thought nothing of setting extra places at her Thanksgiving table for Bryce's college friends who had nowhere else to go. That was simply Gene.

She and Ray were adventurers at heart. Their travels took them to Hawaii, Cancun, the Rocky Mountains, Chicago, California, Arizona, Branson, Key West, and beyond — sometimes pulling the camper, sometimes piling into the family truckster and stopping at highway hotels along the way. She loved every mile of it.

Gene had a gift for living fully and for making sure everyone around her was doing the same. She loved camping, she loved cooking, and above all, she loved her people.

She and Ray made their home in Pierson for more than 55 years before recently moving to Kingsley, where they settled in and enjoyed a new chapter together.

Left to cherish her memory is her husband, Ray Woods of Kingsley, IA; her sons, William Woods of Chicago, IL, Bryce (Zuzana) Woods of Kingsley, IA; and her beloved granddaughter, Zoe Woods; brother, Nick (Konny) Droegmiller of Alta, IA; sister-in-law, Kathryn Harbeck of Sioux City, IA.

Those that passed before her include her parents, William and Anne Droegmiller; brother-in-law, Sam Harbeck.

Gene wanted everyone around her to enjoy life — and those who were lucky enough to know her did exactly that. She will be deeply missed and forever loved.