Obituary for Betty Anne Smith

MRS. BETTY ANNE GIDDENS SMITH, age 81, of Eastman, GA, passed away peacefully to be with her Lord and Savior on Thursday, January 2, 2025, at Community Hospice in Vidalia, GA.

 Funeral services will be held at 2:00PM Monday, January 6, at Bay Springs Freewill Baptist Church, with Rev. Emory Howell officiating, with interment in Bay Springs Freewill Cemetery.

 Betty Anne was born in Plainfield, GA on February 17, 1943. She was a member of Bay Springs Freewill Baptist Church and was a 1961 graduate of Dodge County High School. The following year, she married the love of her life, Gerald, and was blessed with 62 years of marriage. She was a homemaker and loving mother who raised two daughters. She later earned her CNA certification in the 1990s from Heart of Georgia Technical Institute in Dublin, GA and was a caregiver for many years. Betty Anne was a loving wife and a dedicated mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was affectionately known as “Grannie” to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was a devout Christian lady who loved her church and was a dedicated church worker who served as a Sunday School teacher for many years. She enjoyed gardening, camping, fishing, and traveling around the country with her husband. They were fortunate to travel to all but 2 states in the United States and as far as the Arctic Circle. Betty Anne was the daughter of the late Annie Pearl Cook Giddens and Earl Lamar Giddens and was preceded in death by her brothers, Carrol Ray Giddens and Lamar Giddens.

 She is survived by her Husband of 62 years – Isaac Gerald Smith of Eastman, GA; Daughters – Amanda Woodard (Greg) of Eastman, GA and Samantha Gibbons of Eatonton, GA; Grandchildren – Blake Studstill (Ashley), Brock Woodard (Meredith), Brodie Woodard (Caroline Scarborough), Luke Gibbons (Kensley Langley), and Zachary Gibbons; Great-Grandchildren – Susannah Studstill, Parker Studstill, and Hunter Adams; Sisters-in-law – Rossie S. Giddens, Josephine “Jo” Smith, and Wynell Smith; Numerous Nieces and Nephews.

 The family may be contacted at the Smith residence, 1720 Dublin Hwy., Eastman, GA, and will receive friends at Bay Springs Freewill Baptist Church from 1:00PM-2:00PM Monday, January 6.