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Frances Crawley Smallwood

June 19, 2020

 

Frances Crawley Smallwood, formerly of Bainbridge, Georgia, passed away at the age of 97 on June 19, 2020 at Hope Center Assisted Living in Fayetteville, Georgia.

Due to the ongoing concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, a private funeral service will be held on June 24 at Ivey Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Lynn Hurley officiating.

Online visitors may sign the guest register at www.iveyfuneral.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Attapulgus United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 26, Attapulgus, GA 39815.

Frances was born on June 10, 1923 in Atlanta to Charles Lamar Crawley, Sr. and Alma Ruby Duke Crawley.

After graduating from Girl’s High in Atlanta, Frances worked for the Department of the Quartermaster, War Department, in Atlanta. She married Hoyt Jackson Smallwood on 29 August 1943 at her parent’s home in Atlanta.  Frances and “Jack” settled on a shade tobacco farm outside Attapulgus, Georgia where they raised their six children over the next couple of decades.

Frances later returned to the work force as a secretary at the fuller’s earth (Attapulgite) mine in Attapulgus.  She was employed as secretary for the Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce for a couple of years before going to work at the Decatur County Department of Family and Children Services as a foster care case worker.  She retired as Supervisor over food stamps and nursing homes from “the Welfare Department” after about 26 years of employment.

Frances was an active and faithful member of the Attapulgus United Methodist Church, serving many years as church financial secretary and was a UMW Special Mission Recognition Recipient. Often her contributions were behind the scene, contributing delicious dishes for church dinners and hand-made crafts for church craft sales.

She was a devoted mother and deeply loved by her family. Her house was always open to her children’s friends and they were often included in the family’s frequent camping trips. She thoroughly enjoyed the annual Smallwood family Thanksgiving reunions, which she, as family matriarch, initiated 35 years ago. An accomplished seamstress, Frances made clothing, Halloween costumes, and numerous quilts, with the latter enjoyed today by her children and grandchildren.

She was a resident of Willow Ridge in Bainbridge before moving to Hope Center in Fayetteville to be nearer family.

Frances is survived by a brother Charles Lamar Crawley, Jr. of Kennesaw, Georgia and children Barbara Stock (Lonnie) of Marietta, Georgia, Joe Lamon Smallwood (Natalie) of Statesboro, Georgia, Patsy Hauser (Larry) of Pensacola, Florida, William Alton Smallwood II (Cheryl) of Statesboro, Debra Malone of McDonough, Georgia, daughter-in-law Sylvia Smallwood of Jacksonville, Florida, grandchildren: Betty, Matt, Ami, Audrey, April, Laura, Jamie, Joe “Bo”, Renae, Daniel, Samantha “Sam”, Alexandra “Alex”, Amanda, Will, and Lindsay, 21 great-grandchildren, 1 great-great-grandchild, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, a son, Hoyt Jackson Smallwood, Jr., son-in-law William Curtis Malone, brother William Hugh Crawley, sisters Margaret Evelyn Glover and Dorthy Jeannette Crawley, and her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Thomas Fredrick and Janie (Little) Smallwood with whom she had a special bond.

The family would like to express their appreciation to all her caregivers at Willow Ridge for their devoted care this past year.