Ilda Mae McCurley Hammack Smith

Published 12:00 am Saturday, December 28, 2013

Feb. 11, 1923 – Dec. 25, 2013

WOODVILLE— Services for Ilda Mae McCurley Hammack Smith, 90, of the Buffalo community, who died Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2013, at her residence, will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Newman Funeral Home in Woodville with the Rev. Dennis Johnsey and the Rev. Bernard Waites officiating.

Burial will follow in Evergreen Cemetery under the direction of Newman Funeral Home.

Visitation will be from 1 p.m. until service time Sunday at the funeral home.

Mrs. Smith was born Feb. 11, 1923, in the community of Sankum, Wilkinson County, the daughter of Eugene and Malva Floyd McCurley.

She was the loving mother of three, grandmother of five and great-grandmother of nine. She was one of eight children to her parents. She was a graduate of Beechstand High School. She married Ellis Hammack and had three children, Dwight, Linda and Judy.

At Ellis’ death, she began working as a secretary to Fred Netterville at Fred Netterville Lumber Company and worked there for 22 years. She married Abner Smith in 1974 until his death in 1990. Her marriage to Abner brought his children and grandchildren into the family.

She spent one year in Florida in 2006-2007 to be near family as she aged, but could not be happy away from her beloved Buffalo. With the help of wonderful caretakers and Hospice Compassus, she was able to live out her last years at home around friends and family. She was known for her friendly smile, quick wit, passion for family and fishing on Lake Mary.

Mrs. Smith was preceded in death by her parents and husbands, Ellis Hammack and Abner Smith.

Survivors include one son, Dwight Hammack, of Landrum, S.C.; two daughters, Linda Hammack Cortelyou, of DeLand, Fla. and Judy Hammack, of Atlanta; three grandchildren, Kelly Cortelyou Munn, of Atlanta, Julie Hammack McKay, of Greenville, S.C. and Kendall Cortelyou Ward, of DeLand, Fla.; two step grandchildren, Jeff Wann, of Elizabethtown, Ky. and Robbye Jepsen, of Chicago; a number of great-grandchildren; one sister, Malva McCalip, of Natchez; and a number of nephews and nieces.

Pallbearers will be Austin Cavin, Elliott Hammack, Sean McKay, David McKay, Charlie Netterville and Charles Smith.

Honorary pallbearers will be Danny Carter, W.V. Carter, Charles Henry Fairchild, Gene Pritchard, David Starr and D.D. Sumrall.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society 3715 Northside Pkwy NW Bldg. 400 Northcreek Suite 300 Atlanta, GA 30327.