Audrey Janet Griffin Smith

FOR AUDREY

An Encomium

“Between the date of birth and the date of demise there was a life that mattered.”—Unknown

During the nascent hours of July 22nd, Audrey Smith silently slipped away to that place which she envisioned and of which she frequently spoke. Her departure was not announced as “breaking news” or instantaneously plastered all over social media. She journeyed-on as she lived her life—unassuming and without fanfare—with only her family and close friends in possession of the knowledge.

Audrey Janet (pronounced like Jeanette) Griffin Smith was born on Wednesday December 10, 1952, the third in a concatenation of the four offspring of Afton and Frank Griffin. She was an early Christmas present to their ever-expanding family and, for over a decade, could lay claim to being the youngest. Then, on a Sunday in May 1963, a baby sister altered that status, and Audrey joined her only brother as the “middle children” of the Griffin clan.

When she became of school-age, her parents enrolled Audrey in the Burke County School system. She attended Drexel Primary, Drexel Elementary, and Drexel High School. Her brother Larry; who is only a year, five months and five days older that she, remembered the early days of his sister’s budding academic career:

Her birthday was far beyond the cut-off date that would have allowed Audrey to be only one year behind me in school; so she was well on her way to being seven years old and actually two-years behind me when she finally enrolled in the first grade at Drexel Primary School. I was in the third grade by that time and was assigned, by my Mother, the dubious privilege of walking my sister to her classroom every day before going to my room. There were many mornings that Audrey clung to me so tightly because she did not want me to leave her there.

Once, near the beginning of the school year, her first-grade teacher, Ms. Mabe, appeared at the door of my classroom to ask my teacher if I could accompany her to her classroom to comfort an inconsolable Audrey who kept asking for her big brother. Dutifully, I went with her to attempt to provide some reassurance and comfort to my sister. I was only eight years old and had no idea what I was going to say to her. I wanted to cry myself because I didn’t wish to be in school either. But when I saw her tear-streaked face, I forgot my personal angst, hugged her and told her that everything was going to be alright. I reassured her that I would come to get her after school, and we would walk to the bus together. Somehow, that seemed to be enough. She knew she wasn’t alone. Thankfully, she eventually settled into the routine of school like the rest of us.

Despite her initial distaste for all things pertaining to school, Audrey eventually became an accomplished student, her academic prowess exceeding that of the two siblings who preceded her. She was inducted into the Beta Club Honor Society during her Junior Year and elected Senior Class secretary. In 1971, she graduated with honors from Drexel High School.

Subsequently—right out of high school—Audrey accepted a position in the offices of Drexel Heritage Furniture, the company at which her father had been employed for most of her childhood. Afterwards, she attained a position in the Personnel Department of the then Valdese General Hospital—a department that she managed successfully for a few years at a very young adult age.

Perhaps her longest period of employment came later when she accepted a position at the Allstate Office of Ed Thomas. During her 14 years there, she proved herself to be an invaluable asset, eventually obtaining her broker’s license. Clients appreciated and praised her ability to place them at ease while assisting in their selection of the most affordable insurance policies that coincided with their needs. Frequently, customers would darken the door to pay insurance premiums that could have easily been sent through the mail. However, they enjoyed Audrey’s amiable, affable personality and her personal attention. Her clients were more than faces attached to insurance premiums; she valued them as individuals and made it a point to learn about their families and would often inquire after relatives who were facing challenges. Audrey assisted Ed Thomas in the building of a successful insurance business in the county seat of Morganton.

In 1974 at the home of her best friend who resided in Drexel, Audrey married a Ft. Bragg Army Paratrooper named Eugene Smith, whose overtures she initially rebuffed. Her younger sister, Jackie, remembers those days:

[Audrey] made me go with her on a date with this Army Paratrooper who she really didn’t like but he kept asking so she decided to go. I only got to go a few times before she decided I was no longer needed because she fell hard for that Army Paratrooper and was married for 50 years.

The Smiths eventually parented three children: Jessica, Micah, and Ian. Audrey would aver that giving birth to them was her most significant and lasting accomplishment. Jessica Smith Frady and Brother Ian and wife Jennifer reside in Burke County. Micah and Wife Stephanie, along with their two boys, Aeden and Sagan live in the South Carolina city of Greenville. Audrey, who was born a natural redhead, often express a longing to have a redheaded grandchild. That wish was granted with the birth of Micah’s and Stephanie’s firstborn, Aeden, who is a natural redhead just like his Grandmother Audrey.

When she was not parenting or working with the public, Audrey pursued other avocational interests. She possessed an artistic eye and was masterful at identifying and framing scenes and scenarios suitable for photographing, although it was her husband Gene who was behind the camera attempting to capture her vision. Together, the couple produced a multiplicity of professional-quality photographs.

Additionally, Audrey was a collector of antiques, particularly those that pertained to her Griffin Family history. She also had a penchant for Coca-Cola memorabilia and proudly exhibited her collection in her home—a personal exhibition worthy of any museum of history.

Audrey’s earliest and lifelong commitment was to her religious faith and its expression. For a significant portion of her life, she was an active member of the First Church of God in Drexel. Her contributions were numerous: singing in and directing choirs, periodically playing piano for events, staging and directing church plays, working in the nursery, teaching, and participating in outreach efforts. And even when health challenges prevented her from attending church regularly, her personal faith in God remained that one constant.

Older sister, Sandra, often spoke with Audrey, at length, by phone. Always their conversations included the topic of religion and, on occasion, politics. Older brother Larry remembers extensive telephonic conversations in which aspects of faith were favorite topics. And it was that inexorable faith that sustained her until she drew her final breath, sometime during the early morning hours of Tuesday July 22, 2025.

Audrey was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Afton Griffin; Stepmother Peggy Sigmon Griffin; and her husband of over fifty years, Norman Eugene Smith. In addition to her three children, their respective spouses, and two grandchildren; three siblings remain: Sister Sandra Keaton and Husband Paul, Sister Jackie Berry and Husband Randy, and her only brother, Larry J. Griffin. Also remaining are a plethora of nephews and nieces, grand-nephews and grand-nieces, two aunts of her own from her Mother’s side of the family, and cousins who live all across the US.

Audrey Griffin Smith would not wish to be enlarged in death beyond that which she was in life. She was genuinely a good woman, caring wife, nurturing mother, valued sister, and empathetic friend who lived fully, laughed freely, and loved fiercely while keeping the faith that defined her spiritual life. Her passing, as John Donne once mused, diminishes those of us who loved her.

A memorial service honoring the lives of Audrey and Gene Smith will be conducted at a later date. Heritage Funeral Home, located in Valdese, is handling arrangements for the family. Tributes can be posted to their website at, www.heritagefuneralservices.com.