| 3. | Lucy Smith was born on 27 Apr 1915 in , Watauga County, North Carolina, North Carolina; died on 8 Aug 2016 in , Avery County, North Carolina, ; was buried in Mount Calvary Baptist Church Cemetery, , Avery County, North Carolina. Notes:
Lucy Smith Townsend was born in Valle Crucis on April 27, 1915. When she was little, the family moved to Matney where she grew up. She remembers when Hwy 194 was built; her father helped build the new road. She also remembers when it was a toll road. She met her future husband Ernest Townsend when she rode the school bus to Banner Elk and Ernest was the bus driver. They eloped to Mountain City and were married on the day after Christmas when she was sixteen. When she and Ernest had been married four years, Ernest built a house in Banner Elk. Their daughter Janice was very small at that time and was later followed by her siblings Ernestine, Jerry, Gail and Gary, twins.
She belonged to the Banner Elk Woman's Club and the Garden Club. She was a member of Mount Calvary Baptist Church. When the old Cannon Hospital was built, she started out as a Gray Lady and was made assistant to the head of house keeping.
In 1949 Ernest and Braxton "Brach" Baucom built the Center Theatre in Banner Elk, which opened to an overflow crowd and was a huge success for many years. Lucy worked alongside Ernest at the theater until it closed in 1972. Ernest died in 1986.
Lucy was on the town Planning Board from 1971 - 1979, helping make decisions on zoning that are still in effect. She also became active in politics at the local level. She was a delegate to the Republican Convention in Raleigh when James Holshouser, Jr. was elected Governor and was invited to the Inaugural Ball.
Later on, Lucy had had several falls with fractures. She became unable to care for herself and moved to an assisted living facility for several years and was in Life Care Center in Banner Elk. She was 101 years old when she died.
Along with her husband, she was preceded in death by: her parents, Sion Sherrill Smith and Lura Edith Baird Smith; son, Jerry Townsend; daughter Gail Townsend Tatum.
Lucy has left to cherish her memory: her children, Ernestine Glover of Banner Elk, Janice Lecka and husband Vance of Banner Elk, Gary Townsend of Vilas; grandchildren, Van Lecka and wife Liz of Banner Elk, David Lecka and wife Jackie of Banner Elk, Mark Lecka and wife Lora of Newland, Chris Lecka and wife Jenny of Newland, Dawn Avery and husband Waightstill of Plumtree, John Glover of Charlotte, Janet Ohert and husband Jason of Cave Creek, AZ; 7 great grandchildren; 13 great-great grandchildren; several nieces and nephews.
Services for Lucy Smith Townsend will be Sunday, August 14th at 3:00 p.m. at Mount Calvary Baptist Church. The family will receive friends for one hour prior to the service. Interment will follow in the Mount Calvary Baptist Church Cemetery.
Children:
- Janice Elaine Townsend was born on 26 Nov 1932 in , Avery County, North Carolina, ; died on 25 Feb 2020 in , Avery County, North Carolina, ; was buried in Mount Calvary Baptist Church Cemetery, , Avery County, North Carolina.
- Jerry Delane Townsend was born on 22 Jun 1939 in , Avery County, North Carolina, ; died on 13 Jun 1991 in San Diego County, , , California; was buried in Church of the Holy Cross, , Watauga County, North Carolina.
- 1. Gail Lynn Townsend was born on 6 Sep 1943 in , Avery County, North Carolina, ; died on 12 Nov 2005 in , Avery County, North Carolina, ; was buried in Mount Calvary Baptist Church Cemetery, , Avery County, North Carolina.
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1943 - 2005 (62 years)