Sue Smathers

Susan (Sue) Woody Smathers, 88, of 1634 Dutch Cove Road passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus on Thursday, May 18, 2006. She had been a resident of Autumn Care Nursing Home since 2002. She was a native of Madison County NC, but had been a resident of Haywood County since 1956. She was a daughter of the late John and Vaughty Reynolds Woody. She was preceded in death by her husbands, Castal Henderson, who died in 1942, and Quay Smathers, who died in 1997. She was a member of Morning Star United Methodist Church. She is survived by four daughters, Ina Henderson Redemann of Columbia, SC; Cynthia Smathers White of Asheville; Elizabeth Smathers-Shaw of Athens, Ohio and June Smathers-Jolley of Canton; one sister, Dorothy Greene, of Clyde; one brother, Troy Woody, of Ottowa Lake, Michigan; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was known for her love of gardening and created a lovely courtyard during her residency at Autumn Care. She enjoyed sharing cuttings and seeds from her garden there and teaching others about gardening. She also served as Vice President of the Resident Council at Autumn Care. In her younger years, Sue was a midwife and herbalist, caring for many in her community of Spring Creek where she grew up. She began taking care of others at a very young age, due to the death of her own mother when she was a child. She helped raise her younger brothers and sisters and cooked for the entire family of 10 children. She will be remembered by many as one who selflessly cared for the poor, the sick, and the elderly. As a teenager Sue rode a wagon to Hot Springs to attend Home Demonstration classes, where she was taught the modern methods of food preservation by canning. She, in turn, taught the young women of Spring Creek these skills, and later shared them with her own daughters. A favorite at folk festivals in Madison and Haywood County for her demonstrations of butter churning and quilting, she was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by Mars Hill College in 1988 for the preservation of her mountain heritage. Funeral Services will be at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 21, 2006, in the Canton chapel of Wells Funeral Home with the Reverend Doug Love officiating. A private burial service will follow at Zion Baptist Church Cemetery in Madison County. The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 pm Saturday at the funeral home. At other times the family will be at the home on Dutch Cove Road. In memory of her beautiful flower gardens, floral arrangements are welcome; however, memorials may also be made to The Residents' Fund of Autumn Care Nursing Home, PO Box 330, Waynesville, NC 28786, Wellspring Retreat Horticulture Therapy Program , PO Box 67, Albany, Ohio 45710 or to Haywood Regional Medical Center Hospice, 560 Leroy George Drive, Clyde, NC 28721.

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