Obituary of Sarah Everett Smith

Sarah Smith passed on Mar 13th, 2023, in the presence of family after a courageous battle against old age. Sarahremarked that growing older was not for the “faint of heart.” Through it all she retained her faith in God and her sense of humor. She was 92, and as one of her caregivers remarked, "She still [had] all her teeth!"

She was born on August 22, 1930, to her parents, Ray and Portia Everett in Connersville, IN. She attended the University of Indiana and went on to work in retail in Cincinnati, OH, New York City, and later Boca Raton, FL, where she met VC “Cran” Smith whom she married in 1967.  Cran brought four children into the family, and Sarah and Cran had two more together.

While Ferris wheels made her nervous, Mrs. Smithendeavored to obtain her pilot's license while still a bachelorette and even rode a camel later in her retirement on one of three world cruises she and Cran enjoyed.  After relocating to Sapphire Valley in the mountains of North Carolina, she was inspired by the beautiful scenery and took up painting.  She especially liked to paint old local barns, still lifes, and Kool cigarette ads that often featured an old mill on a mountain stream.  She got her Real Estate license and in addition to selling homes, wrote a newsletter that featured historical and local lore in the Cashiers area that helped to make VC Smith Real Estate highly successful in its time.

Mrs. Smith was always busy with a project from serving on the boards of the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital and Sapphire Valley Country Club to publishing a family cookbook and a rather comprehensive genealogy book about hers and Cran’s ancestors.  She made oversized, uniquely dressed ragdolls for all her grandchildren.  She enjoyed playing golf, achieving two holes-in-one, and playing bridge, which she must have played for over 50 years. She took great joy in inviting friends over for dinner parties, especially with international themes. Sarah was a foodie before being a foodie was a thing,

Mrs. Smith is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer and Jim Gundersdorff; her daughter and son-in-law, Katie and John Page; her stepdaughter, Judy Welch; her stepdaughter-in-law, Sharon Smith; her stepdaughter, Tina O'Brien; her stepdaughter-in-law, Sandy Smith; 10 grandchildren, and 14 great grandchildren. (In fact, on the Saturday before she passed, she met her most recent great grandchild, Nash Blankenship.) She is preceded in death by her husband, Cran; her stepson, Warren Smith, her stepson, Sparky Smith, and her stepson-in-law, Jim Welch. She will be fondly missed by family and friends alike.

Mrs. Smith will have a memorial service at St Jude’s Catholic Church in Sapphire Valley later this year.