Jane Wood Banks

Jane Wood Banks was born Oct. 30, 1926 in Jackson, MS. Her father worked for the “telephone company” and the family subsequently lived in Louisville, KY and Decatur, GA.

She graduated from Druid Hills High School in Decatur, GA and then attended Vanderbilt University. In 1947 she graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in mathematics and returned to Atlanta. Unable to find a job with her mathematics degree, she took stenography classes at Agnes Scott College and began work as a medical transcriptionist at Emory Hospital.

At Emory Hospital she met Rafe Banks Jr., MD. Dr. Banks had served as a front line field surgeon in the European theater in World War II. After discharge from the Army, he returned to Emory for additional urological training. Jane Elizabeth Wood married Rafe Banks, Jr. in 1949. Dr. Banks was a native of Gainesville and in 1951 they returned to Gainesville and participated in the opening of the new Hall County Hospital (now Northeast Georgia Medical Center).

Jane Wood Banks is survived by her four children, Rafe Banks III (Zuma), David Wood Banks (Nancy). Elizabeth Banks Campbell (Robert), and Baylor Bateman Banks (Laura), GA. She has 13 grandchildren and five great grand-children who are the joy of her life.

Upon the death of her husband in 1981, she became the first female member of the Board of Directors of the First National Bank in Gainesville. During her time on the bank board, First National grew to $3.1 billion in assets and merged with Regions Bank in 1995. She was also a long time member of the Board of Trustees of Brenau University (1989-2005).

Always good with numbers, she oversaw family business interests for many years.

A member of the Gainesville First United Methodist Church, she is a patron of Brenau University, The McCallie School, The Baylor School, Emory University, the North Georgia History Center and numerous other entities through anonymous contributions. She is the sponsor of a nursing scholarship at the Brenau University Nursing School.

She served in multiple civic capacities in Gainesville amongst which were the various hospital organizations and she was President of the Junior Service League 1961-1962. She loved to travel and traveled most of the world and as an avid lifelong golfer she served as President of the Chattahoochee Ladies Golf Association in 1986.

She was preceded in death by her father, William David Wood, her older brother, William David Wood, Jr. and her mother Josie Bateman Wood.

Graveside services will be held 11:30 am Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at Alta Vista Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 10:00 am to 11:00 am Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at Memorial Park North Riverside Chapel prior to the service.

Memoriam gifts may be made to the Rafe and Jane Banks Nursing Scholarship at the Brenau University Nursing School

Well loved by her family and a life lived with dignity and enthusiasm.

Memorial Park Funeral Home North Riverside Chapel, 989 Riverside Dr. is in charge of arrangements.

Send online condolences to www.memorialparkfuneralhomes.com.