Obituary of Alyce Catherine Smith Bennett

Alyce Catherine Smith Bennett, 94, passed away peacefully in her sleep on February 13, 2021. Born on June 1st, 1926, she was the youngest child of Joseph Eugene Smith and Naomi Hayes Smith. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Lee Bennett, Jr. (RL) in 1964, whom she loved unceasingly, her mother and father, her sister, Bettie Corrine Smith Murphy, and her brothers, Newell, Edward, Marshall, Ira and Julian Smith. She is survived by her sons Michael (Dietland) of Denmark, Mark (Tonette) of Cary, Tony (Maureen) of Chapel Hill, and Alan of Singapore and their families, and was blessed with 10 grandchildren, Almuth, Raphael (Johanna), Tonya, Tracy (Randy), Rita, Michael (Dayana), Kipp, Abbie, Gabriel, and Sara, and 7 greatgrandchildren, Taylor, Zoe, Cole, Ian, Jonathan, Marlene, and Rhett. She was loved by all who knew her and was a perfect Mother, Grandmother and Great-grandmother. Born in Franklin County, she graduated from Needham Broughton High School in 1943 and married RL in 1944. They moved to Macon, Georgia where he worked at the B52 bomber factory until the end of World War 2, at which time they moved back to the Raleigh area where she lived the remainder of her life. After the untimely death of her husband in 1964, she enrolled in nursing school at Wake Technical Community College, eventually scoring second in the state on her LPN exam, all the while being sole caregiver for her 4 children and her infirm Mother. As a nurse she was wellrespected and a favourite of the doctors and patients due to her common sense, keen observation skills and empathy for her patients. Over the course of her career she worked at Rex Hospital, Raleigh Community Hospital, the office of Drs. Courie, Satterfield and Goldston and retired from nursing after working with students at Student Health Services of NC State University in Raleigh. Her family and friends remember her as being endlessly loving, patient, brilliant, with a generous warmth of personality and gentle humour. Her natural humility did not prevent her from taking pride in her sons and their families. She was always eager to celebrate even the smallest successes and welcomed the opportunity to help them through any challenges with patience and insight. Never judgemental, she was gentle, understanding, supportive and self-sacrificing. She was a long time member of Inwood Baptist Church on Lake Wheeler Road. Since 2011, she lived at The Cedars in Chapel Hill where she was loved as a supportive friend and member of the community. Her family takes comfort in the fact that she fully enjoyed life up until her passing. We feel the loss deeply but we also celebrate the fact that we were so very blessed to have had her in our lives. A memorial service will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers the family requests that you please consider making a donation to the charity of your choosing.

Walker's Funeral Home in Chapel Hill is assisting the family.