Elva Morrow Smith Reynolds, 91, of Rockingham and St. Joseph of the Pines, left to be with her husband, family and friends on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012.
A celebration of life service for Elva will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, at Carter Funeral Home, in Rockingham, with the Rev. Tim Hawks officiating. She will be laid to rest beside her husband in the Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church cemetery, on Grassy Island Road, Ellerbe. The family received friends from 6:30 to 8:30 Tuesday, Jan. 31, at Carter Funeral Home, in Rockingham.
Elva was born May 6, 1920, in Stanly County, to Robert Hamer and Mary Helen Talbert Smith. In her youth, she moved with her family to Richmond County, where she met and married the love of her life, Auman Allen Reynolds.
After retiring from the textile industry, Elva became interested in genealogy and soon became known to many out-of-towners as a go-to person for Richmond County research. Although working for others, she still found time to author “Bethel Baptist Church,” “The River Hills, Ellerbe Springs Remembered,” and “The Tangled Web — the Corbett-Smith History.” She was also a published amateur poet.
Elva enjoyed gardening, shelling, crafting, writing, studying the Bible, and spending time with her children, grandchildren and friends. She never met a stranger.
Those who went before her include her parents; her husband; infant Mary Frances; and siblings Addie (Mrs. Marvin) McGill; Irene (Mrs. Luther) Shepherd; Grace (Mrs. Monroe) Long; Ruby Violet (Mrs. J.H.) Matheson; and Cecil (Lucille) Smith.
Those left to cherish her memories include her two daughters, Faye Reynolds, of Rockingham, with whom she made her home for many years, and Violet and husband, Ray Baker, of Ellerbe; grandchildren Belinda Smith and husband, Bobby, Steve Bryant and wife, Julie C., all of Ellerbe, and Allen Bryant and wife, Julie P., of Holden Beach; great-grandchildren, Mercedes Bryant, of Washington state, Tess Bryant, Damon Bryant, Travis Smith and wife, Amanda, all of Ellerbe, Sabrina and husband, Eddie Shelley, of Rockingham, Ellie Puckett, Emily Braddock and Timothy Braddock, of Holden Beach; and great-great-grandchildren Isaiah Smith and Samuel Smith, of Ellerbe; as well as many nieces and nephews.
The family would like to thank all of the many CNAs, nurses and doctors who helped “Granny” in her battle with Alzheimer’s.
Online condolences may be made at www.carter
funeral.net.