Jan. 14, 1917 –

May 7, 2013 

Betty Sweet Smith Simmons, 96, of Macon, Ga., the widow of William Pinckney Simmons, died Tuesday morning, May 7, 2013. Memorial services will be held on Thursday, May 9, 2013, at 2 p.m. at Mulberry Street United Methodist Church with the the Rev. Tommy Mason and Dr. William Hurdle officiating.  Burial will be private in Riverside Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers or food, memorial donations may be made to a charity of choice or the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, 277 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Macon, GA 31201.

The daughter of Grace Hines Smith and Charles Sweet Smith Jr., Mrs. Simmons was born Jan. 14, 1917, in Jacksonville, Fla. and moved to Cocoa, Fla. Educated in the Cocoa public schools, she graduated from Florida State College for Women (now FSU) where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

A resident of Macon since 1938, Mrs. Simmons was a member of Mulberry Street United Methodist Church. She served on the boards of the Grand Opera House, Museum of Arts and Sciences, Fine Arts Committee, Middle Georgia Historical Society, Historic Macon Foundation Inc., Friends of the Cannonball House, Tubman African American Museum and Mid-Summer Macon.

Mrs. Simmons was a member of the Camellia Society, the History Club of Macon, Middle Georgia Art Association, Morning Music Club, Macon Little Theater, Theater Macon, and Macon Town Committee of Colonial Dames of America. Mrs. Simmons was awarded the Macon Arts Alliance 1994 Cultural Award and the 2002 Rosalyn Elkan Lifetime Achievement Award. She was Junior League Sustainer of the Year and Junior League Volunteer of the Year. She was honored in 2006 by the Girl Scouts of Middle Georgia at the first Women of Distinction event. She was a supporter of most community, cultural and historic endeavors including the Hay House, Community Concert Association, The Macon Symphony and The Community Foundation. Above all she loved the people of Macon. Mrs. Simmons was the last surviving member of The Sewing Club, which met weekly for more than 60 years. Other members included Chunk Reichert, Kat McNair, Kathryn Heard, Margaret Morgan and Libby Timberlake.

Mrs. Simmons is survived by her children, Bill Simmons (Bertha), Betty Sweet Ladson and Charles S. Simmons (Kathy), all of Macon;  grandchildren, Bill Simmons III and Grace Simmons, both of Memphis, Tenn., Bill Ladson III (Jenny) of Thomasville, Ga., Charles Ladson (Ashley) of Macon, Betty Sweet Atkinson (Austin) of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Kathryn Strickland (Matt) of Macon and Virginia Sweet Dupuy (Ben) of Baton Rouge, La., Lawson Brown (Leigh) of Venice, Calif., Stuart Brown (Carla) and Carter Brown (Stacy) of Pensacola, Fla., and 14 great-grandchildren.

The family is most appreciative for the care given at Bolingreen Health Facility. Most particularly, our family thanks the family of staff and residents at John Wesley Villas for their love and care.

Hart’s Mortuary at the Cupola, 6324 Peake Road, Macon, is in charge of arrangements.