Linda Wood McDugald

Linda Wood McDugald, a resilient servant of God, and a devoted and nurturing wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, stepped into the arms of her heavenly father on November 11, 2025.

Linda Louise Wood was born on April 26, 1943, in Lufkin, Texas to parents, Winfred Edward “Bud” and Louise Croom Wood. Linda spent many hours on the family farm riding her horse “Bob” during her childhood.

Linda attended Baylor University in Waco, and graduated from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. She moved to Dallas, then later Houston. She worked as an Executive Secretary for the President of Penzoil in Houston. She met James “Jim” W. McDugald III in Houston, as they lived in the same apartment building. They were married in Houston on October 10, 1970. Their two children were born in Houston: Meredith McDugald Norman in 1973 and James “Son Jim” Edward McDugald in 1976. The family moved to Franklin, Tennessee in 1981 for Jim to open a branch office for an Architectural Firm in Nashville.

Linda was an Executive Assistant at First American Bank in Nashville, and her hobbies included golf, cooking, gardening, volunteering, and traveling around the world with husband Jim, including many cruises. She spent many hours supporting her kid’s activities (soccer and golf). She was an avid golfer, playing across Middle Tennessee in ladies and mixed leagues as well as vacation destinations such as Scottsdale, AZ and St. Andrews in Scotland. She had a hole in one at the Temple Hill Golf Course. She served as President of the Nashville Women’s Golf Association. She was very active at First Baptist Church in Downtown Nashville, serving as a Deacon and various other roles including Children’s Mission Friends Leader, Adult Sunday School Teacher, Property Board Member, and in Women’s and Homeless Missions. She was an amazing cook, known for dishes inspired from her Texas roots. She was a friend to everyone she met, and extremely giving of her time for just about anything anyone needed.

Linda was preceded in death by her parents and younger brother Bubba in Lufkin, Texas (who passed on September 29, 2025), and is survived by her loving husband of 55 years Jim, children Meredith (Grayson) and Jim (Megan), four wonderful grandchildren who knew her as their Mimi: Maggie, Brock, Avery, and Clay, along with countless friends who felt her love and generosity.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at First Baptist Church Downtown Nashville (108 7th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203). There will be a visitation from 10am to 11am, followed by the service conducted by Tony Rankin at 11am.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association using the following link: https://events.alz.org/fundraisers/jamesmcdugald/in-loving-memory-of-linda-mcdugald--alz-org-tribute