Betty Elaine Smith

Published 9:26 am Monday, June 16, 2025

A celebration of life was held for Betty Elaine Smith of Brookhaven on Thursday, June 12, 2025, at 2 p.m. at Gum Grove Baptist Church. Visitation was from noon until the time of service, followed by a burial at the Church Cemetery.

Betty Elaine Smith, 86, passed away June 10, 2025, at King’s Daughters Medical Center. She was born on September 19, 1938. to the late Franklin Wiley Smith and Hattie Louise Chandler Smith.

She was a member of Gum Grove Baptist Church, where she was the star pitcher for the church softball team for many years. In her spare time, she enjoyed sewing, shopping, and spending time with her family. She was a deeply cherished member of her family, whose unwavering love and devotion touched everyone around her. As a devout Christian and a devoted wife, she lived her life with faith and grace, leaving behind a legacy of warmth and kindness.

Preceding her in death were her parents; her sisters, Mamie Case (Percy), Mary Watts (Rowland), Mazie Lee Lofton (Sherrill), Mildred Nettles (Leo); brothers, Henderson Smith and Wiley Smith (Clara); great-great-grandson, Foster Ryan Durr; brother-in-law, Virgil Smith, and wife, Francis; sisters-in-law, Faye Wallace, and Mayfred Summers.

Those left to cherish her memory are her husband, Edwin A. Smith — they recently celebrated 71 years of marriage on May 29; her children, Steve (Lissy), Vonda (Johnny), and Dean (Donna); her brother, Frank Smith and wife, JoAnn, and brother-in-law, Wayne Wallace; along with her seven grandchildren, Anson Smith (Leslie), Jessica Francis (Logan), Tyler Smith (Nikki), Ashton Thornton (Mitchell), Laina Goldsmith (Dustin), Jeremy Laird (Charlee), and Nicole Case (Mark). She is also survived by her 23 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren; and a special friend, Joann Wentworth.

The family would like to thank Silver Cross Nursing Home, Deaconess Hospice, Fresenius Kidney Care, A Special Caretaker, Bonne Petty, and Accent Home Health and her nurse Heather Roberts for their care and compassion given to her over the days and months of her illness.

Condolences and other information are available online at www.riverwoodfamily.com.