Vernon Fountain Smith

Vernon Fountain Smith, 91, died at her home at Whitaker Glenn on Monday, May 1, 2017. She was born in Edgecombe County, NC on May 23, 1925. She was the daughter of prominent attorney Vinton Fountain and the niece of Congressman L. H. Fountain, both of Tarboro, NC. Her mother was Annie Ruth Britt Fountain of Lumberton, NC. She was married to Willis Smith, junior, son of United States Senator Willis Smith. Willis junior was tragically killed in an airplane crash in 1971.

Mrs. Smith attended Duke University where she was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. After leaving Duke she was a reporter for the Durham Morning Herald while her husband served as a naval pilot during World War II.

Mrs. Smith was active in social, civic, political and arts communities following her marriage and the birth of three daughters. She served on the boards of the NC Ballet, the Junior League, the NC Museum of Art, the NC Symphony, Camp Merrie-Woode for girls, and Hospice. She was a docent at the NC Museum of Art and a member of the Humber Society. She was the cofounder of the Nicky Cruz Girl's Home of Raleigh. She served as co-chair with her husband of NC Democrats for Nixon during the 1972 Nixon Presidential Campaign and on the Holshouser Inauguration Committee. She was a member of the Carolina Country Club and the Coral Bay Club.

Mrs. Smith was active in many sports, including tennis and golf. She excelled at ballroom dancing, achieving the gold level in ballroom dance at a local dance studio. She inherited her love of dancing from her father who led many dances in eastern North Carolina in the early 1900's.

Mrs. Smith was a lifelong student. She spent many hours in the study of psychology and spirituality including the grief studies of Elizabth Kubler Ross. She attended a two week siminar in Eissiedin, Switzerland, with teachers from the Jungian Institute in Zurich. As a result of her studies Mrs. Smith became devoted to journaling, recognizing this as a valuable tool for mental health. She wrote in her journals regularly for over thirty years and encouraged and helped others to do the same.

Mrs. Smith was a gifted, respected, and beloved teacher and mentor to many. She spoke and led numerous groups, graciously sharing with others what she had learned in her studies, in her spiritual walk, and through her life experiences. She led groups in her home, in churches, in retreat centers, and in the community on Christian marriage, parenting, and family life, grief and dying, and journaling.

Mrs. Smith appreciated getting to know different places and cultures. This motivated her to travel in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa. When not traveling she spent her summers by the ocean she loved at Atlantic Beach, NC.

Mrs. Smith is survived by daughters, Vee Smith Chandler and husband Chan, Dolly Smith Lyon and husband John, and Creecy Smith Andrews and husband Russ. She has seven grandchildren, Rushman Andrews, Smith Andrews, Creecy Johnson, Helen Fure, Dolly Myrick, Jay Brantley, and Willis Brantley. She has nine great grandchildren. She is also survived by her half-brothers J. McDougal Fountain and Vinton Fountain, junior, and sisters-in-law, Anna Lee Dorsett and Matilda Smith.

The burial and celebration of life will be held Thursday, May 4, 2017 at 1:00 pm at Oakwood Cemetery. The family will welcome friends and family on Wednesday , May 3rd from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm at the home of Dolly and John Lyon.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Salvation Army of Raleigh or Transition Life Care of Raleigh.

The family would like to thank Mrs. Smith's caregivers who were loved and appreciated by her: Naomi Mogaka, Ndeye Mbaye, Evette Wade-Service, Lekita Essa (Lekita Care) and Betty Raila.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, Saint Mary's St., Raleigh.