Jean Wallace Smith

Jean Wallace Smith, 88, met her Savior – face to face- and was reunited with her beloved family and friends on February 3, 2026. A native of Alamance County, she was married to the late Harold Murphy Smith for 56 years and the daughter of Vernon and Ava Lee Wallace, both deceased. Remaining family members are her daughter, Susan Smith Isley and husband, Danny; her son, Stephen Harold Smith and wife, Michele; two granddaughters, Audrey Leigh Theiss and husband Trace; and Erica Smith Griffin and husband, Clifton. She also had five great grandchildren who she adored – Keegan and Conlan Brown, Charleigh Theiss, Allura and Jericho Griffin, as well as many special nieces and nephews and “adopted” sons and daughters and a sister in law, Mrs. Sallie Wallace. Mrs. Smith was preceded in death by two brothers, Thomas Alvin Wallace and Daniel Lee Wallace.

After graduating from Walter Williams High School, she began pursuing her Music Education degree where she attended Bob Jones University for two years and returned home to finish her courses at Elon College; it was there that she met and fell in love with her husband and married in 1959.She worked for several years as an administrative assistant at Western Electric before becoming a stay at home mom when Susan was born.

Her life was filled with love for her family, friends, and her church. As a teenager, because of her love of music and God-given talent, she traveled with family, singing in churches and on the Sunday afternoon radio broadcast with Pastor Eugene Hancock, who inspired her to use her talent for Jesus. She learned to play the piano as a young girl and later was challenged in college to learn to play the vibraharp, of which she taught herself, and blessed many by playing duets and specials with exceptional skill and feeling for church services at Andrews Memorial Baptist Church and Belmont Baptist Church. Her home was always filled with music, whether playing or singing and she passed her love of music to her children and grandchildren. In addition to her music ministry, she found her passion in teaching children about Jesus. She hosted Five day Clubs for Child Evangelism in her home for the neighborhood children, taught Sunday School and formed a Children’s Choir at church called The Ambassadors, which she directed for many years. She also led the Junior Varsity Chorale at ACS for several years. She influenced many young people to sing for Jesus with excellence and a joyful heart and spirit. She also found time to cook a hot meal for her family and set a high precedence on gathering at the dinner table for family time every evening. It was not unusual to find her baking a pie for a sick friend or baking cookies and brownies for the young people who visited her home. Canning and freezing homegrown vegetables were a summer event at the Smith home and she kept a meticulous yard filled with her much loved azaleas and perennials. Jean will be remembered as a woman of strong conviction and character, who loved serving her Lord by living her faith out in daily ways, and she instilled many quotes and Bible verses in her children, and they witnessed her sharing Jesus with people who worked in her home or in the community. In her final years, while being homebound, she found ways to minister by sharing her faith with caregivers, sharing the Scripture calendars, books of faith and most of all by her ministry of prayer. She fought a good fight, she kept the faith and she finished her course.

Her funeral service will be conducted where she was a member - Belmont Baptist Church; on Tuesday, February 10 at 2 PM. Visitation will be held at Lowe Funeral Home on Monday, February 9 from 4 - 6 PM.

The family is forever grateful to those who cared for Mrs. Jean during the last five years. The compassion, patience and love shown by Regina, Crystal, Stella, Amy, Amber, “Pinky", and Sunny will never be forgotten, and we also owe a special thanks to Ruby and Allison, her AuthoraCare/Hospice angel nurses and to Michelle McCann, her stylist. The love and support from family and friends who have reached out in so many ways and covered us with prayer during our most difficult days will always be treasured.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Belmont Baptist Church, Building Fund, 3032 Bellemont-Mt Hermon Road, Burlington, NC 27215 or Lighthouse Bible Church Food Bank, PO Box 690, 27216.