Charlotte S. Hood, 86, real estate agent, teacher and needlepoint expert

A memorial service will be held Friday, Sept. 14, for Charlotte Stevenson Hood, 86, of Wyndmoor, a real estate agent, teacher, and needlepoint expert, who died Sunday, Aug. 5, of a heart attack at Chestnut Hill Hospital.

The daughter of Annette Parke and George Stevenson II, Mrs. Hood grew up in Chestnut Hill. In 1950, she graduated from what is now Springside Chestnut Hill Academy and went on to attend Wheelock College and the University of Pennsylvania.

She spent 32 years as a top-producing real estate salesperson with Emlen Wheeler in Chestnut Hill, earning accolades two years in a row for her sales record, said longtime friend Nancy Carrel. Much later, Emlen Wheeler merged with other companies to form Berkshire Hathaway, Fox & Roach.

In the 1950s, Mrs. Hood taught fourth grade and drove the school bus at Springside. She met Clifford C.R. Hood while both sang for the Savoy Company in 1955. She was an alto in the chorus, and he was the lead tenor. They were married in June 1958. They raised a family in Chestnut Hill.

She was a skilled needlepoint artist. Her work can be seen at the Church of St. Martin in the Fields in Chestnut Hill, All Saints Episcopal Church in Bay Head, N.J., and the Birney Community Church in Birney, Mont. Her favorite piece of needlepoint was an altar frontal cloth for St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church on St. Barthelemy in the French West Indies.

"She stitched everything from altar frontals, kneelers, and lectern [covers] to the seat for the bishop's chair at St. Bart's," her family said.

Carrel said she had known Mrs. Hood since age 10, when the girls rode their bikes together to Springside. As an adult, Carrell moved to Birney, where she lives on a cattle ranch, but the two stayed in touch. "She was a very energetic person, very funny, with a huge sense of humor," said Carrel. "She didn't like to mess around. She was very decisive."

Mrs. Hood was active in volunteer causes, including what is now the Florence Crittenton Foundation. She served on the board of directors of the Jane D. Kent St. Nicholas Day Care Association and the Springside school, and was head of the school's alumni association.

A fan of TV game shows, she appeared on several – including Jeopardy! and Sale of the Century. She was a four-day champion on Sale of the Century. The show, which debuted in 1969, featured contestants who answered questions posed by a host. For each correct answer, they earned $5. At certain junctures, they were offered the chance to buy merchandise at a bargain price. The prize was theirs to keep regardless of the game's outcome.

Mrs. Hood spent time at a family vacation home in Bay Head in Ocean County. "She loved it there," Carrel said.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by daughter Christianna T.; son C. Charles R. Jr.; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. A daughter, Annette Stevenson Hood, died at age 6 when she was struck by a car. The family gave a children's library to Springside in Annette's name.

The memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Sept.14 at the Church of St. Martin in the Fields, 8000 St. Martins Lane. Bishop V. Gene Robinson, retired Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire and her longtime friend, will officiate. Burial is private.