The older woman was dressed in her pajamas under her coat. She wasn't feeling well but was determined to see Woods one last time. She was a "good person, a wonderful friend," Gladys Russell said.
Robin Bradley got out of her SUV to sign the condolence book placed on a nearby pedestal. She wandered up to the window and stood for several seconds, then blew Woods a farewell kiss.
"It's a wonderful thing having her be on display like this," said Bradley, who was having her first drive-thru funeral parlor experience. "They have her in style."
"It's different," said Mary PreJean, a relative of the Woodses who drove up with her friend Olivia Boudreaux.
"I'm used to just going up and looking into the casket, and spending as much time as you need," said Boudreaux. "But it's good this way. Not quite as emotional."
The Rev. W.L. Burnett Sr. just happened to be walking down Palmer when he glimpsed the figure lying in the casket.
"No, no," a visibly stunned Burnett muttered as he approached the glass. He stood in silence, mesmerized by Woods, whom he recognized as a public figure.
If she had been placed inside, "I probably would never have known," Burnett said.
