Merwyn Haselden Smith

Merwyn Smith

Merwyn Haselden Smith died peacefully at home on December 5, 2015. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Ben R. Smith, Jr.; her son Benjamin Rush Smith III and his wife, Susan Blackburn Heath; her daughter Beverly Smith Hutchison and her husband, Leonard (Len) Lafayette Hutchison III; three grandchildren, Elizabeth Coleman Hutchison, Leonard Lafayette Hutchison IV, and Sarah Jackson Blackburn Smith; two brothers, John T. Haselden and Alford Haselden, and Al’s wife, Pamela Glotzbach Haselden; and nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents and three brothers, Thomas Reginald Haselden, Ranford Alan Haselden, and Howard Jackson Haselden.

Merwyn was born on September 24, 1936 in Georgetown County to Blanche Howard and Reginald Augustine Haselden. She grew up in Georgetown, was graduated from Winyah High, attended Winthrop College, and married Ben in 1956. They enjoyed two years of newlywed adventure, and when Ben completed his service to his country they returned from Mannheim, Germany, to live in Filbert, South Carolina. After the birth of her two children, Merwyn returned to Winthrop to finish her degree in library science. She became the librarian at Clover High School, where she served for over ten years.

In 1965, Merwyn and Ben opened The Peach Tree, where, summer after summer, she could be found behind the counter, fostering an ever-widening circle of relationships with customers, farm workers, and her beloved Peach Tree girls. For more than four decades Merwyn’s abiding presence, tireless work, and loving service enriched the lives of a steady stream of patrons, friends, and family.

Merwyn enjoyed reading, playing (and especially winning) bridge, and extending an all-embracing hospitality to family, friends, and strangers.

Merwyn was member of Union Baptist Church of Filbert, where her funeral service will be held on Monday, December 7, at 11 a.m. Interment will follow immediately after the service at Lakeview Memory Gardens. The family will receive friends and family from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, December 6, at Bratton Funeral Home, York. Memorials may be made to the Dee Norton Low Country Children’s Center and Union Baptist Church.

Bratton Funeral Home in York is serving the Smith family.