Mrs. Beth Laney Smith Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Beth Laney Smith Charlotte, NC Beth Laney Smith departed this Earth on Sunday, May 5, 2013. Gifted with intelligence and beauty, Beth lived a life of achievements and adventure. Born in Pageland, SC on October 2, 1924, she grew up during the difficult times of the Depression. Her father, Howard Gibson Laney, died in a construction accident when she was six years of age. Her mother, Lona Laney, taught Beth, her sister, Jean and bothers, Gerald and Howard, to reach for higher standards irrespective of life’s difficulties. Beth responded by excelling in scholastics. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of South Carolina with BA in English at 18 years of age. Soon thereafter she travelled to Tripoli, Libya where she was a civilian employee of the Army Corps of Engineers as editor of the base newspaper, After Hours. Later returning to the States, she opened an advertising agency, Laney-Smith Inc, in 1961 in Charlotte, NC. The agency flourished and served clients including Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, Tomlinson Furniture, Neese’s County Sausage, and the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, among others. Beth also published more than a dozen books for corporations and private individuals including Jones Construction and Daniel Stowe. Her personality reflected a deep love of truth and of beauty, and she greatly enjoyed reading, gardening and cooking. Until her passing at 88 years of age, when asked how she was doing she would often reply, “I am celebrating life.” Beth is survived by her only offspring, Edward Smith, his wife Ellen, and their daughters Hunter Smith of Boone, NC and Kathryn Smith of Mint Hill, NC, all of whom love her dearly and will cherish her memory forever, and her sister, Jean Dalane. A Service Celebrating Beth’s life will be held at Baumgartner Funeral Home in Pageland, SC at 11:00 am Saturday, May 11, 2013 with the interment to follow at the Laney Family Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 10:00 – 11:00 AM on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at Baumgartner Funeral Home in Pageland, SC. In lieu of flowers, Memorials may be made to Hospice & Palliative Care - Charlotte Region, 1420 East Seventh Street, Charlotte, NC 28204

Mrs. Beth Laney Smith

October 2, 1924 - May 5, 2013