Edward Henry Smith

Born in Charlotte in October of 1925 to Edward Arthur Smith and Winnie Eloise Moss Smith at Old St. Peter's Hospital, which was located at 225-231 N. Poplar Street, Ed grew up in Charlotte and Kings Mountain. He graduated from Kings Mountain High School and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ed was a quarterback on the Carolina football team during the era of the famous Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice. One of Ed’s favorite pastimes was watching and cheering for his beloved Tar Heels.

Ed was predeceased by his parents and his beloved wife, Elizabeth Simpson Smith, a noted author and writer of many books for middle school children and an entrepreneur in the advertising and textile industries. Ed and Elizabeth operated Smith Thread and Yarn for many years, succeeding Ed’s father in the business. He is survived by his brother, Nicholas Arthur Smith of Lakes Forest, California; and nephew, Nicholas A. Smith, Jr. and family of Phillipsburg, NJ; niece, Jocelyn Smith Busby and family of Memphis, TN; Gideon Smith of Charlotte, and Benjamin Woodford Smith, also of Lake Forest, California. Ed was also especially fond of Stephen S. McCallum of Charlotte, a nephew by marriage.

During the time when WBT Radio was king of the regional broadcast world, Ed had a daily report during the morning drive time titled “The Textile News”. This segment was aired daily during the days of the famous Grady Cole who was succeeded by Ty Boyd. Ed was also an actor in many theater groups in Kings Mountain, Gastonia, Charlotte and Flat Rock and participated in Revolutionary War Re-enactments. Ed was also engaged in politics and political campaigns particularly in the western counties. He served as a member of The Electoral College in 1968 and 1972.

Ed Smith spent a lifetime of fascination with the American Revolution. He seriously continued studying, writing, lecturing and publishing articles about the battles of the southern campaigns of both Tories and Patriots, focusing on Colonel Patrick Ferguson, the British commander at the Battle of Kings Mountain. He was so fascinated by the “Ferguson Rifle” that just a few years ago he sought out the owner of a replica and arranged to fire the weapon, the first breech loading rifle used by the British Army. Ed also studied and wrote about General Nathanael Greene to whom he gives credit for the Colonial efforts in the south that forced Lord Cornwallis to move to the north and ultimate defeat at Yorktown. During his last years he continuously worked on an extensive manuscript focusing on the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence and the Mecklenburg Resolves trying to solve the controversy concerning the debate over the May 20 Declaration.

As a member of The Charlotte Writers Club, Ed created and endowed an annual short story competition named the “Elizabeth Simpson Smith Contest”.

After Ed and Elizabeth were married they lived in Lincoln County in the historic house known as Vesuvius Furnace. In later years they built a home at Lake Norman. After Elizabeth passed away in 1994, Ed purchased a condo at the Churchill Condominiums on North Poplar Street directly across from the building where he was born. When the ravages of age became too great for him to live alone, he moved to the Carriage Club on Old Providence Road where he lived for more than six years prior to his recent hospitalization. The family wishes to express their sincere appreciation for the wonderful care and attention received both by the Carriage Club’s Coach House Assisted Living staff and the administrators and staff at the University Place Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

A service to celebrate Ed's life will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday, February 28, 2015 at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 115 W. 7th Street.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are requested to the Elizabeth Simpson Smith Contest, Charlotte Writers Club, P.O. Box 220954, Charlotte, NC 28222.