Mary Eva Smith Rowley died at her residence in Tennille on December 13, 2020. Mary Eva, as she was affectionately known, was raised in Fort Gaines, Georgia. Graveside funeral services will be held on December 16, 2020, at 11:00 A.M. at Zeta Cemetery in Tennille. She was predeceased by her parents, Clinton Hudspeth Gay, Sr. and Mary Edna Foster Gay; her brother, Clinton Hudspeth Gay, Jr.; her first husband, William B. Smith, Jr.; her second husband, George Rowley; her son, William Clinton Smith; and her grandchildren, Jason Smith and Will Smith.
Mary Eva spent most of her adult life in Tennille. Like most of her peers, she graduated from Georgia State College for Women in Milledgeville with a teaching degree. Upon graduation, Mary Eva started teaching at the Tennille High School. There were a significant number of young teachers in Tennille who all married gentlemen from Tennille, making it their home to raise families. Mary Eva Smith Rowley, Lucy Nell Smith, Gus Ouzts, and Marianne Wylly, all teachers at Tennille, made significant contributions to the lives of others in Tennille and Washington County. Eventually, the schools in Washington County consolidated and Mary Eva became the Home Economics teacher for many years at Washington County High School. Mary Eva married William B. Smith, Jr. after arriving in Tennille. They had one son, William Clinton Smith. After more than fifty years of marriage to William B. Smith, Jr., he passed away. Two of the best friends of Bobby and Mary Eva were George and Rosamond Rowley of Greenville, Pennsylvania. They visited and traveled often over the years. When Rosamond Rowley died, George and Mary Eva found affection at a relatively late time in their lives. George and Mary Eva married in 2004, and George, a Harvard educated lawyer, moved to Tennille. They enjoyed each other’s company immensely until George’s death.
Mary Eva was a member of the Tennille Fine Arts Club, the Tennille Methodist Church, and numerous other organizations. Her greatest compassion was the friendship with the students that she taught and the teachers that mentored her, more specifically, Mary Louise Lever of Rome, Georgia.
Mary Eva is survived by her sister-in-law, Lucy Nell Smith; daughter-in-law, Joan Smith; and numerous nieces and nephews.
May and Smith Funeral Directors is in charge of these arrangements.