Cherish Every Moment

Cedar Falls, NC- In a day and age when you hear of broken hearts and lost love, it is always a blessing to meet those couples who have lived a life of love, fully devoted to one another. Jimmy and Lillie Smith of Cedar Falls are real examples of this steadfast love that we all hope to obtain within our own lives.

Both Jimmy and Lillie were born and raised in Alamance County . Jimmy Smith was born on February 13, 1934. Three years later on October 15, 1937, Lillie O’Neal was born in Snow Camp.

Jimmy and Lillie Smith exchanging vows on Nov. 14, 1953.

Their relationship started humorously. Jimmy happened to be in the right place at the right time to meet his future wife. Lillie O’Neal was casually dating a boy by the name of “A.T.” when she met Jimmy. In fact, Jimmy Smith’s close friend was A.T. One evening while A.T. and Jimmy were hanging out together at a community center in Saxapahaw, A.T. called Lillie to talk. The conversation progressed until A.T. had to put the phone down momentarily to take care of something. That’s when Lillie, to her surprise, heard Jimmy pick up on the other end of the phone. It all started from there. After talking with her on the phone, Jimmy later revealed to his friend that he was interested in dating Lillie. Surprisingly, A.T. had no problems with Jimmy pursuing her!

After six months of dating, Jimmy asked Lillie to be his wife on October 15, 1953. Lillie stated, “Jim wanted to get married as soon as possible. It was my birthday when he asked me to marry him! One day short of a month later, we were married!” On November 14, 1953, Jimmy and Lillie were wed in Burlington, with the late Reverend Wade Starling officiating.

One of Jimmy’s favorite hobbies before and after marriage was the Boy Scouts Organization. As a young boy he was a Boy Scout in Troop 65 in Saxapahaw and eventually received the honorable status of Eagle Scout. After marriage, Jimmy was still very involved with the Boy Scouts in Alamance County . After moving to Randolph County , he was Assistant Scout Leader for Mr. Collon Allred with Troop 510 of Cedar Falls. Jimmy may be most well-known locally from his employment at the old Jordan Spinning Company in Cedar Falls and at Arrow International in Asheboro . He was employed at Jordan Spinning Company from 1968-1984. After leaving Jordan Spinning Company in 1984, Jimmy took a position at Arrow International. After 15 years of employment, with hopes of traveling and spending time with his wife, Jimmy retired in 1999. Many folks may know Lillie from her beauty salon, which is a small blue building that sits across the road from their home. Lillie’s Beauty Shop opened its doors on September 17, 1972 and closed exactly 32 years later on September 17, 2004.  

For 46 years of their over 51 year marriage, the Smiths have lived in the same home on Wicker-Lovell Road in Cedar Falls . The Smiths raised three children, their daughter Rita and two sons, Michael and Wade. They also have a total of 7 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

In regards to her husband’s health, Lillie commented, “His health started declining rapidly after his retirement in 1999. We wanted to travel and do things together after his retirement, but unfortunately, we never got to do those things together because of his health.” Several years ago, Mr. Smith was initially diagnosed with mild Alzheimer’s disease. However, it was later discovered that an increase in fluid around the brain caused symptoms that are commonly associated with Alzheimer’s. This condition was treated and all seemed well. However, only a few months later Mr. Smith suffered a major stroke which caused him to lose the use of the right side of his body and his ability to effectively communicate verbally. “He’s been bed-bound for about 11 months now,” Mrs. Smith stated. Earlier this year on April 2, 2005, Jimmy suffered a major heart attack and was thereafter referred to Hospice due to a further decline in his health.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith take time for a photo with one of their Nursing Assistants, Kristin Reeder.

When it comes to hospice care, the majority of the general public does not realize how difficult it can be for a family to take care of a loved one on their own. Their loved one, who was once self-sufficient, is now mostly dependent on the care of others. Common tasks that are normally taken for granted suddenly become the patient’s most important needs, such as eating, bathing, transportation, clothing, and much more. However, families do make it through these tough times through the assistance of caring individuals that either work or volunteer with Hospice. Perhaps the most important individuals associated with Hospice are those who devote their time on a volunteer basis. These individuals assist families with almost any need. From transportation, cooking meals, watching children, household cleaning, shopping, and more, the volunteers of Hospice give everything that they can in order to help the patients and families. The volunteers who assist the Smiths are Billie Overly and Mary Carte. Lillie’s brother, Tommy King (who lives with the Smiths) has also been a tremendous help during these times.

“The past few months have been hard. Before the nurses and volunteers from Hospice started helping us, I had no clue just how overwhelmed I was with everything,” Mrs. Smith shared. “I have sat down in this very chair many times wondering how I would do it all on my own…Marilyn was a God-send and Kristin has been so sweet. Everybody’s been good; really, really good…excellent.” Marilyn Parris is the volunteer coordinator for Hospice of Randolph County, but works as a CNA when needed. Kristin Kennedy is also a CNA. Of course, when you look for the heart of why hospice is here, it’s because of the patients. One of the founding missions of hospice has always been to provide the most comfortable care possible and to celebrate the lives of each individual.

In celebrating her husband Mrs. Smith offered the following words: “He’s always been a good husband, a terrific father, and a superb great-grandfather. The other day when his 6 month old great-granddaughter was at our home, he wanted to hold her so badly. You could see the tremendous love that he has for her in his eyes.” Speaking of love, Mrs. Smith shared that Jimmy’s favorite scripture has always been John 3:16. Her favorite scriptures are the “Be-Attitudes”.

Mrs. Smith offered her advice on marriage. “The thing that held our marriage together all of these years is love and loving the Lord. The key to a good marriage is listening to each other and serving each other. Serving each other is the key.”

She commented, “Just cherish every moment that you have with your spouse. Even when Jimmy would go fishing and I didn’t want to, I would go with him just to be with him. Even if you don’t like doing the things that they like to do, go with them anyways. You’ll regret not doing those things later on in life when one of you cannot leave the house any longer.”

-Written by Jared Reeder

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