Easley, SC – Mrs. Gloria Jean Smith, age 87, went to be with her Lord and Savior on November 27, 2020. Gloria was born in Canyon, Texas and was the daughter of the late Roy Samuel Franklin and Merle Tucker Franklin and loving wife to Dr. Lowell W. Smith DDS.
Survivors include her husband of nearly 70 years, Dr. Lowell W. Smith DDS, Captain (Ret.), United States Public Health Service. Two sons Randy Smith (Melanie) from Germantown, Maryland and Rick Smith from Smithsburg, Maryland and three daughters Patti Floyd (Peter) of Highland, Maryland, Cheryl Watson (Neil) of Central, South Carolina and Carol Wright (Rick) of Simpsonville, South Carolina. Surviving are two brothers Kerry Franklin from Euless, Texas and Roy Franklin of Tucson, Arizona and two sisters Carolyn Baker from Fort Collins, Colorado and Sharon Levin from Tucson, Arizona. Gloria leaves behind Thirteen grandchildren: Daniel Floyd (Sarah), Mark Floyd, Stephen Floyd (Olivia), Jessica Spangenthal (Joel), Hannah Herwig (Max), Jennifer Delianides (Andrew), Ryan Watson (Meghan), Alyssa Rock (Alex), Drew Watson, Marie Baez (Robert), Aubrey Smith (John Hungerford), Chris Olguin and Carson Wright. Also surviving are eleven precious and loving great grandchildren.
Gloria was a member of First United Methodist Church in Easley, South Carolina. She often expressed her tender love of God in sending prayers to her family members. Her family took pride in her handiworks and in her gifts of hand lettered and decorated greeting cards. Gloria had many hobbies tied to nature and healing. She loved to view the night skies and would excitedly notify family members when a special star or moon sighting was going to appear. She had a green thumb and was able to coax plant cuttings into healthy, beautiful plants. She even managed to keep a current plant from her grandmother alive for decades. Wellness and healing were also a special interest and Gloria had vast stores of knowledge on herbs, essential oils, and nutritional remedies. She played her custom, hand crafted Appalachian dulcimer and enjoyed taking lessons in both dulcimer and art. Travel was another area of interest; Gloria and Lowell took frequent trips in their RV for 30 years, developing many close friendships. For seven years they lived in their trailer and traveled from Mexico to the Arctic Circle. Gloria’s clever side served her well in map reading during her travels across America with Lowell. Her love of maps began as a young adult while working for a Texas oil company, where she became skilled at drafting exploration maps. This interest continued throughout life as she developed a collection of maps from their frequent travels.
A Spring/Summer memorial service will be announced at a later date by the family.
Memorials may be made to the Hagood Community Center in care of the Pickens Senior Center, 129 Schoolhouse Street Pickens, South Carolina 29671.
Dillard Funeral Home is assisting the Smith family.
Online condolences may be sent to www.dillardfunerals.com
