Marlow- Carol Smith, 76, passed away Monday, March 13, 2023 at Effingham Hospital.

Our mom was born the middle child in a family of eleven children and she was a farmer's daughter. She grew up in the hills of Moingona, Iowa, a place she loved all her life. She had never dreamed of leaving, but one day a young man from Georgia began boarding with her sister's family. That young man would eventually ask her to teach him the Twist and then would ask her out on a date. A year later, he asked her to marry him.

Mama and Daddy left Iowa and moved to Georgia. They settled in Savannah, where Mama got a job as a waitress in Our House Restaurant. Later, she would work at the famous Leopold's Ice Cream. We grew up with stories about Mr. Leopold. Eventually, though, Mom and Dad began to grow tired of city life and decided to move to the country. They moved to Effingham County, where they worked at Red and White together before Daddy became a milkman and then a barber. The store business was calling, though, and they eventually bought an old, yellow house, where my dad would work every night turning it into a store. They opened Smitty's Grocery and ran it for over thirty years. Generations of Marlow kids grew up on Smitty's front porch, eating penny candy and drinking Coca Cola out of little glass bottles.

Our mom was one of the strongest people we ever knew. She worked side by side with my dad, both at the store and at home. Raising a family, taking care of the house, and working in their many gardens, she was full of energy and resourcefulness. She cared for us when we were sick, comforted us when we were sad, and even ran the store by herself when Daddy wasn't able. During the last part of her life, Mom was very ill. Suffering from congestive heart failure and two battles with cancer, she fought to stay alive and to get well. Her last battle, however, was dealing with the loss of my dad and that was one battle she knew she couldn't win.

Our parents were soul mates in every sense of the word. But, we never realized the depth of their love until the end. Sick from Alzheimer's, my daddy was eventually bedridden. We put his hospital bed in the den and Mama slept on the couch every night so he wouldn't be alone. If she left the room, he wanted to know where she was. One day, not long before she died, Mama said, "I love you and Nora, but I want to be with him." God granted her wish.

We love you Mama. And we know you're with Daddy. Your souls are free and in heaven. Daddy is probably planting okra right now and you're fussing about it, haha. I hope the breeze in heaven is just as sweet as it is in Iowa. I know how much you missed it.

Mama is survived by her daughters, Nora Quill and Bridget Smith; son-in-law, Paul Quill; granddaughter, Ashley Herrin; grandson, Brian Quill; great-grandson, Joseph Quill; great granddaughter, Birdie James Herrin; sister, Kathy Martin; brothers, Dennis Kester and Randy Kester; and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation: 9 – 10 am Saturday, March 18, 2023 in the funeral home.

Funeral services for our parents will be 10 am Saturday, March 18, 2023 in the funeral home chapel.

Graveside services where our parents will be buried together, is at 1 pm, Saturday, March 18, 2023 in McCrimmon's Cemetery near Higgston.

Thomas C. Strickland & Sons Funeral Home, Effingham Chapel (912) 754-6421.