Mary Sampson Smith

Mary Smith

Funeral services for Mrs. Mary Sampson Smith of East Dublin will be held on Thursday, April 11, at 1:00 PM at Greater New Hope Baptist Church at 5501 Highway 272 in Oconee. Interment will follow in the Samuel Grove Baptist Church in Tennille.

Mrs. Mary Sampson Smith began her life's journey on December 9, 1952, in Wrightsville, Georgia. She was born to the late Willie and Lessie Mae Johnson. She gave her life to Christ at an early age while attending Pine Grove A.M.E. Church, where she was actively involved in many church activities as a youth.

Mrs. Smith's education started at D.D. Crawford Elementary and continued until her graduation at Dock Kemp High School in Johnson County in 1971. She was a good student and a member of the basketball team. Her employment began in the nursing field as a nursing assistant at Wrightsville Manor then progressed to Spring City Knitting (formerly EZ Manufacturing). She was also later employed with Laurens County Board of Education.

On April 7, 1984, she married Reverend Eddie Dean Smith, of Tennille, Georgia, the son of the late Reverend Eddie Clarence and Willie Mae Smith. To this union, two handsome boys, Eddie Jr. and Nicholas, were born.

Mrs. Smith served as First Lady to the Parker Spring and Greater New Hope Baptist Churches. She also served as Youth Sunday School Teacher at both churches.

On the afternoon of Friday, April 5, 2013, God saw the need to call his angel back home so that she may have eternal rest. Preceding her in death were her parents, Willie and Lessie Mae Johnson, and two sisters, Shirley Sampson Johnson and Arlene Poole. She leaves to cherish and honor her memory a loving and devoted husband of twenty-nine years, Rev. Eddie Dean Smith, Sr.; two loving and caring sons, Eddie (Adria) Dean Jr., and Nicholas LeShawn; three sisters: Doretha (Rev. Robert) Owens of Tennille, Evelyn (Willie James) Lumpkin of Atlanta; twin sister, Martha Abney of Pensacola, FL; four brothers: Henry Sampson of Pensacola, FL, Bishop Richard (Janie) Sampson of Atlanta, Ernest (Mary) Sampson of Dublin, Thomas James Sampson of Fayetteville, NC; brothers-in-law: Calvin (Agnes) Smith, Gerald (Joyce) Smith, William Smith, Tony Smith, and Leroy Johnson; sisters-in-law: Shirley (James) Hines and Dianne Smith; a devoted and lifelong friend, Ruby Kate Rozier, as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and other family and friends.

The family will receive friends at 808 Pierce Road in East Dublin.

Services By Dudley Funeral Home of Dublin
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