Marty A. Smith, 85, of Fitzgerald, died Friday, August 16, 2013, at Life Care Center in Fitzgerald.
Funeral services will be held 2 PM, Sunday, August 18, 2013, at First Baptist Church of Fitzgerald with the Rev. Dr. Mike Ruffin officiating. Interment will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the church on Sunday.
Ms. Smith was born August 16, 1928, in Fitzgerald, to the late William Dewey and Lucy Margaret Smith. A 1945 graduate of Fitzgerald High School, she attended Tift College for Women in Forsyth. She earned her Bachelors degree in Education as well as her Masters degree in Music from Georgia Southern College. A life-long educator, Ms. Smith taught elementary general studies in Eastman and Patterson. She returned to Fitzgerald in 1953 where she taught elementary studies and music until her retirement in the mid 1990s. In August 1980, she was selected Teacher of the Year for the Fitzgerald City School System and was named the 1995 Woman of the Year by the Junior Women’s Club. She was a member of First Baptist Church and an honorary member of the Genesis Sunday school class. For almost 60 years, she shared her musical talents with congregations at First Baptist Church as well as Central United Methodist Church. She also enjoyed playing for residents of the Harris House and Shiloh Personal Care Home. Ms. Smith taught piano to hundreds of children and played for weddings and funerals for over half a century. She enjoyed needlepoint as well as playing bridge; winning the last game she played in May.
She is survived by a brother and sister-in-law: William Dewey Smith, Jr. & Ruth of Fitzgerald; nieces and nephews: William Dewey Smith, III, Nedra & Steve Dickerson, Byron & Wanda Smith, Cindy & Vic Flowers, Jerry Hipps, Nathan Hipps, and Jay & Penny Hipps; as well as numerous great-nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a sister: Sue Hipps.