Elizabeth (Liz) Smith

Elizabeth (Liz) Smith, wife of Philip Lamar Smith I, died Saturday, April 20, 2019, at the age of 71. She was born January 26, 1948 in Budapest, Hungary, as Erzsébet Margit Endrényi, to Elizabeth (Erzsébet Szabo) and the late Frank (Ferenc) Endrényi. As a young child she emigrated to France, living in several towns including Roubaix and Jallieu, and played on the beaches of Normandy, among the bunkers and rusting leftovers from WWII, On Thanksgiving Day 1956, she immigrated to the US, where shortly after her arrival, she and her siblings Frank, Suzi, Tibor, and Rudy lit the Christmas tree at Roosevelt Field, Long Island, NY. She lived in Norwich, CT, where she had her 1st communion, brother Frank recalling how angelic she looked in her white outfit and veil. Soon after, she moved to the little town she would call home for the next 60 years – Batesburg, SC, when her father transferred with JB Martin Co to the new plant in Leesville. She made lifelong friends that describe her as “the outgoing one” who loved her 1967 MGB. When baby sister Irene arrived, Liz naturally assumed a role of mother, that continued long after she had her own children and grandchildren…making her clothes, bringing her along on family vacations, loading her and her friends in the van with beanbags for backseats to see a movie; all things she did with her own children. She graduated Batesburg-Leesville High School in 1966, and later made a 30 year career there as the bookkeeper and admin assistant to the principal, until her retirement in 2013. She married Philip Lamar Smith on Feb 15, 1969, and worked alongside him, his brother and sister-in-law Lawrence and Becky Smith, in the family business, S&S Auto Supply, for the next 50 years.

Liz and Lamar recently celebrated their 50th anniversary with family and friends. She was a member of Leesville United Methodist Church, also served as secretary for a number of years

Liz had a love of reading and was an artist with her cross stitch, proudly winning 1st place blue ribbons for several of her pieces, and passing the craft to her daughters and sister Irene. She loved her second home on Lake Murray, and any given weekend you could find her on a boat or floating in the water with family and friends. Over the years she taught countless kids to ski, some more successfully than others. She had a love for cooking in abundance for family and friends using both new recipes or traditional Hungarian family recipes.

Surviving are her loving husband, Lamar Smith; mother, Elizabeth Endrenyi of Greer, SC; daughters, Marcia (Jody) Gunter of Leesville, Lori (Gregg) West of Prosperity; brothers, Frank (Micky) Endrenyi, Jr of Miramar Beach, FL, Rudy (Janis) Endrenyi of Leesville; sisters, Suzanne Robey of N Richland Hills, TX, Irene Endrenyi (Richard Varner) of Greer, SC; grandsons, Andrew, Marshall, and Cooper Gettys of Leesville; brother-in-law, Lawrence (Becky) Smith of Batesburg; and Jenny, her beloved rescue dog of 16 years; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and loved ones in the US and Hungary. In addition to her father, she was preceded in death by her son, Philip Lamar Smith II, an infant brother, and brother Tibor Endrenyi.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 – 8:00 P.M. Tuesday, April 23, at Milton Shealy Funeral Home, other times at the home of her daughter, Marcia. A memorial service will be held at 4:00 P.M. Wednesday, April 24, at Leesville United Methodist Church with Rev. Bruce Sayre officiating.

We would like to thank the staff at Fresenius Dialysis Clinic in Leesville, and the nurses and doctors at Lexington Medical Center. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Leesville United Methodist Church, SC Commission for the Blind or the American Kidney Fund.