Ada Bernice Pickett Smith, 86, passed away on January 18, 2018 under hospice care at Life Care Center of Lawrenceville. She was born in Daus, TN, in 1931, to the late Haden Preston and Martha Lou Thurman Pickett. She married the late John Lawrence Smith, Jr. in 1950. Since his death in 1994, she has lived with family in the Atlanta area. She is survived by a brother, Thurman Pickett; her daughters, Sandra Smith Stone (husband Tony) and Janet Smith Thompson (husband Steve); her granddaughter, Bailey Anne Huguley, and step-grandson, Adam William Maraman Stone (wife Meghan); and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and a wide extended network of family and friends.
Bernice graduated from Sequatchie County High School in 1949. She taught elementary school at Lone Oak Elementary on Signal Mountain in the late 1950s, and after the family moved to Atlanta in 1965 she worked at Egleston Hospital for Children, retiring from there in 1989.
Bernice was a lifelong active member of the Church of Christ, with her most recent membership at the Buford Church of Christ, where she taught a ladies’ Bible class for many years. She leaves behind a large church “family” that meant the world to her. In addition to her church work, she enjoyed cooking, reading, needlework, puzzles, games, and most of all, spending time with family and friends. The family appreciates the love and care given to Bernice by family and friends, especially during the past few years as her health declined; all the cards, visits, prayers, gifts, and assistance with food and transportation provided her much comfort and joy and were an invaluable support to all.
Visitation will be held at Hamilton Mill Memorial Chapel located at 3481 Hamilton Mill Rd., Buford, GA 30519 on Friday, January 19th, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Messages to the family can be posted on-line at www.hamiltonmillchapel.com. Visitation will also be held at the Buford Church of Christ located at 1135 Chatham Rd, Buford, GA 30518 on Saturday, January 20th, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM followed by a funeral service at 11:00 AM. The service will also be live streamed. You can access via the Church’s website of bufordcoc.com and clicking on the Live Stream link.
She will then be transported to Dunlap, TN, to Ewton Funeral Home located at 6936 State Route 28, Dunlap, TN 37327. Visitation at Ewton’s will be on Sunday, January 21st, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM Central Time, followed by a service in the Chapel. Burial will follow at Collier Cemetery in Pikeville, TN. Messages to the family can be posted on-line at www.ewtonfuneralhome.com.
Flowers are accepted by the family or contributions can be made in her memory to the following:
Donations to GA Agape can be made online with a credit/debit card at www.georgiaagape.org or checks can be mailed to 3094 Mercer University Dr., Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30341.
Donations to the Nicholas A. Smith Foundation (a scholarship fund) can be made online with a credit/debit via PayPal at nicholasasmith.org or checks can be mailed to 3160 Mulberry Oaks Ct, Dacula, GA 30019.