Faye Ritchie Smith

Faye Ritchie Smith, 97, died Feb. 1, 2021 in Charlotte of natural causes. She was the last living sibling in a family of six sisters and two brothers.

Born on a farm in Cabarrus County, she moved to Charlotte at age nine with her widowed mother Lillie Ritchie and siblings after her father Ira Ritchie died unexpectedly at age 37.

Her mother found work in a textile mill and her older sisters took care of the younger children until they finished school and left home.

Faye attended Oakhurst School and later worked as an inspector at Hudson Hosiery Co. She married Charlotte native Robert Smith in 1942, the year he was inducted into the army.

Their oldest child Doug was born in 1944. Siblings Danny, Donald, Donna and Darlene arrived later to share the 10-room family home on West Boulevard next door to Wilmore Elementary School.

Faye enjoyed hanging out with friends at Independence Park, where she met Robert, and watching movies -- “Gone With the Wind” was her favorite -- in a center city alive with street photographers, newspaper hawkers, food vendors, and pigeons jostling under foot for food.

Her alluring baby-blue eyes and movie-star demeanor made her a hit in uptown Charlotte with wolf-whistling males. That was quite amusing to Doug and Danny who made the mistake of describing the encounters to their father. He was not amused.

Faye cared deeply about not only her family but friends she made easily on shopping trips, seniors bus tours, church events and even telephone calls.

The family was watching TV in the living room one night when the phone rang and she ran into the hall to answer it. Thirty minute later she returned. “Who was that?” Robert asked? “Just a wrong number,” she replied.

Faye was notorious for spoiling grandkids. Drop them off at Granny’s house and you will pick them up later with sticky hands and faces, belly aches and enough junk food to last for weeks.

Baking was a Faye specialty. She showered friends and family with fruit cakes until Robert advised her that the cost of ingredients was squeezing the family budget. She responded by baking pound cakes instead.

Faye was a stay-at-home mom nurturing five children and a steadily rising number of grandchildren during most of her married life, but she also made time for others.

She volunteered as a grade mother at Wilmore Elementary School, answered the recruiting call to become a Cub Scout den mother, and volunteered with the Loaves & Fishes pantry at her beloved Calvary United Methodist Church.

She was soft-hearted and mild-mannered, but at home she could be tough on a rowdy child. Misbehave and you were sent to the thick hedges in the backyard with orders to cut a switch for a discipline lesson. Cut a puny switch and you got a return trip to choose a bigger switch and a more vigorous bare-legs lashing.

In her later years Faye suffered a broken leg, a fractured ankle and numerous falls and scrapes due to bone weakness related to osteoporosis. She dreaded parting with friends at her Dilworth apartment building, but a nursing home was the only way to ensure her safety.

Family members will forever miss the Sunday dinners at the Wilmore house, the picnics in the backyard, and the guided trips on the city bus to the best shopping bargains and snack foods in uptown Charlotte.

Faye was preceded in death by her husband Robert in 1983 after 41 years of marriage and her son Donald in 2020, Survivors include Doug Smith (Linda), Danny Smith (Gloria), Donna Mauney (Paul), Darlene Whitaker (David), daughter-in-law Lesa Smith, 22 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren.

The Smith family will be forever grateful to Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region for the compassionate care they provide during Faye’s declining health.

Lowe-Neddo Funeral Home, 4715 Margaret Wallace Rd., Matthews, NC, is carrying out Faye’s final wishes. No public service is planned due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Donations in remembrance of Faye may be made to Calvary United Methodist Church, 512 West Boulevard, Charlotte, NC.