susan (Dodd) smitherman
High Point – Susan Dodd Smitherman, 81, passed away peacefully on Sunday, December 5, 2021, with her girls by her side.
Susan was born in Cleveland, Ohio on August 9, 1940, to the late Robert Smith Dodd and Emma-Louise Parker Dodd. She was married to James Samuel “Smut” Smitherman Jr. for 58 years. Susan moved from Ohio to Suffolk, Virginia at the age of 10. She graduated from St Mary’s School in Raleigh. She then received her nursing degree from Rex Hospital Nursing School in Raleigh. During this time, she met “Smut” on a blind date while he was attending North Carolina State College. They knew instantly that they were meant to be together.
Susan spent her childhood summers at Camp Appalachia in Covington, Virginia. There she honed her skills as a swimmer, a leader, a camp counselor and the head of water sports. Summers at camp were her favorite childhood memories.
Choosing the nursing field was a natural choice for Susan. The family members she admired most were in the medical field. She knew this was her destiny while she cared for her mother during her battle with bladder cancer. Her favorite areas in the hospital were the Emergency Room and the Operating Room. Susan’s passion, outside of nursing, was working in her yard. She had a huge green thumb and an encyclopedia’s worth of knowledge of plants and animals.
In September 1963, Susan and “Smut” began their life together in Troy. Volunteering in the community was very important to her. Her gifts and talents ranged from teaching Sunday school to volunteering as the school nurse at her girls’ school. While in Troy, she helped raise funds to bring Hospice to Montgomery County. Susan led the needlepoint brigade for the creation of altar kneelers at Trinity United Methodist Church. She was in charge, for many years, for the care of the altar linens and polishing anything brass or silver. She was very active in the Child Study Club with their many outreach projects. One of her favorite contributions to the community was being a founding member of St Mary Magdalene Church.
In 1994, Susan and “Smut” moved to Foscoe. Susan pursued her lifelong dream by opening Susanna’s Antiques. She loved antiques and specialized in Haviland Limoges china and sterling silver. She was a member of Church of the Holy Cross in Valle Crucis and loved working with the Episcopal Church Women.
In 1998, Susan and “Smut” visited Beaufort for the winter. They fell in love with the people and the area. In the summer of 1999, they moved east to make Beaufort their home. Living near the coast allowed her to sleep on her screened in porch 365 days of the year. She looked forward to help host the annual antique show in Morehead City. Being a part of this show was something she looked forward to every year. She was a member of St Paul Episcopal in Beaufort. She was involved in many aspects of the church. She loved taking care of the altar linens and helping with the ECW’s annual bazaar.
In 2016, Susan and “Smut” were once again on the move. They decided it was time to move to a retirement community. They instantly fell in love with the people at Pennybyrn at Maryfield. They were met with a warm welcome and made incredible friendships.
Susan was a voracious reader and could read three books a week. She loved watching Antique Roadshow and Jeopardy. She started her day by completing the crossword puzzle and all other brain teasers in the newspaper. She constantly recited poetry that her father read to her as a child. Bridge was a highlight in every place she lived. Her bridge ladies meant the world to her.
Susan and “Smut” had a wonderful life together with many laughs and inside jokes. They lovingly called each other “Alice and George.” They teased each other constantly. She had an infectious smile that could ripple across the room. Her humor made hard times bearable. She was known for her positive and uplifting words of wisdom. She was also known for the world’s best chocolate chip cookies.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Richard Wallace Dodd. She is survived by her husband, “Smut”; her daughters, Jennifer Wade Smitherman Carpenter (Barry) of Greensboro and Nina-Louise Smitherman Rivenbark (Allen) of Wilmington; grandsons, Clay Carpenter of Charleston, South Carolina, Smith Carpenter of New York, New York, Trey Rivenbark and Wade Rivenbark, both of Wilmington; also her sister, Florence Channey (Steve) of St Augustine, Florida and her sisters-in-law, Cheryl Grandfield of New York, New York and Susan Snuggs of Concord.
The family would like to thank the incredible staff at Pennybyrn at Maryfield for always being there. Dr. Mohammad Mohammad and the staff at Cone Health Cancer Center at Wesley Long made each visit special through their kindness and love. Authoricare Hospice of Greensboro was always a phone call away. A special thank you to Michelle Davis for her amazing gift of kindness and care. She was an angel to us all.
A celebration of life will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 25, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Troy. The family will receive friends in the church fellowship hall following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following in Susan’s honor: Nature Conservancy in North Carolina and St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in Seven Lakes, North Carolina.
Susan was born in Cleveland, Ohio on August 9, 1940, to the late Robert Smith Dodd and Emma-Louise Parker Dodd. She was married to James Samuel “Smut” Smitherman Jr. for 58 years. Susan moved from Ohio to Suffolk, Virginia at the age of 10. She graduated from St Mary’s School in Raleigh. She then received her nursing degree from Rex Hospital Nursing School in Raleigh. During this time, she met “Smut” on a blind date while he was attending North Carolina State College. They knew instantly that they were meant to be together.
Susan spent her childhood summers at Camp Appalachia in Covington, Virginia. There she honed her skills as a swimmer, a leader, a camp counselor and the head of water sports. Summers at camp were her favorite childhood memories.
Choosing the nursing field was a natural choice for Susan. The family members she admired most were in the medical field. She knew this was her destiny while she cared for her mother during her battle with bladder cancer. Her favorite areas in the hospital were the Emergency Room and the Operating Room. Susan’s passion, outside of nursing, was working in her yard. She had a huge green thumb and an encyclopedia’s worth of knowledge of plants and animals.
In September 1963, Susan and “Smut” began their life together in Troy. Volunteering in the community was very important to her. Her gifts and talents ranged from teaching Sunday school to volunteering as the school nurse at her girls’ school. While in Troy, she helped raise funds to bring Hospice to Montgomery County. Susan led the needlepoint brigade for the creation of altar kneelers at Trinity United Methodist Church. She was in charge, for many years, for the care of the altar linens and polishing anything brass or silver. She was very active in the Child Study Club with their many outreach projects. One of her favorite contributions to the community was being a founding member of St Mary Magdalene Church.
In 1994, Susan and “Smut” moved to Foscoe. Susan pursued her lifelong dream by opening Susanna’s Antiques. She loved antiques and specialized in Haviland Limoges china and sterling silver. She was a member of Church of the Holy Cross in Valle Crucis and loved working with the Episcopal Church Women.
In 1998, Susan and “Smut” visited Beaufort for the winter. They fell in love with the people and the area. In the summer of 1999, they moved east to make Beaufort their home. Living near the coast allowed her to sleep on her screened in porch 365 days of the year. She looked forward to help host the annual antique show in Morehead City. Being a part of this show was something she looked forward to every year. She was a member of St Paul Episcopal in Beaufort. She was involved in many aspects of the church. She loved taking care of the altar linens and helping with the ECW’s annual bazaar.
In 2016, Susan and “Smut” were once again on the move. They decided it was time to move to a retirement community. They instantly fell in love with the people at Pennybyrn at Maryfield. They were met with a warm welcome and made incredible friendships.
Susan was a voracious reader and could read three books a week. She loved watching Antique Roadshow and Jeopardy. She started her day by completing the crossword puzzle and all other brain teasers in the newspaper. She constantly recited poetry that her father read to her as a child. Bridge was a highlight in every place she lived. Her bridge ladies meant the world to her.
Susan and “Smut” had a wonderful life together with many laughs and inside jokes. They lovingly called each other “Alice and George.” They teased each other constantly. She had an infectious smile that could ripple across the room. Her humor made hard times bearable. She was known for her positive and uplifting words of wisdom. She was also known for the world’s best chocolate chip cookies.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Richard Wallace Dodd. She is survived by her husband, “Smut”; her daughters, Jennifer Wade Smitherman Carpenter (Barry) of Greensboro and Nina-Louise Smitherman Rivenbark (Allen) of Wilmington; grandsons, Clay Carpenter of Charleston, South Carolina, Smith Carpenter of New York, New York, Trey Rivenbark and Wade Rivenbark, both of Wilmington; also her sister, Florence Channey (Steve) of St Augustine, Florida and her sisters-in-law, Cheryl Grandfield of New York, New York and Susan Snuggs of Concord.
The family would like to thank the incredible staff at Pennybyrn at Maryfield for always being there. Dr. Mohammad Mohammad and the staff at Cone Health Cancer Center at Wesley Long made each visit special through their kindness and love. Authoricare Hospice of Greensboro was always a phone call away. A special thank you to Michelle Davis for her amazing gift of kindness and care. She was an angel to us all.
A celebration of life will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 25, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Troy. The family will receive friends in the church fellowship hall following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following in Susan’s honor: Nature Conservancy in North Carolina and St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in Seven Lakes, North Carolina.