Elisabeth Allen Smith

On January 23, 2025 the final curtain fell on act 4 of the “Lib Smith Show”. She has danced her way to another existence.

Florence Elisabeth Allen (known as Lib) was born July 15, 1927 to the late Paul Mason and Ruth Christman Allen of Spartanburg, SC and has been causing mischief ever since.

Lib graduated from Spartanburg High School and from Winthrop College with a degree in journalism. She had a life-long love of dance and during the summers was a regular at the Pawleys Island Pavillion.

After college she met and fell in love with her future husband, Dr. Stokes Jerome Smith in Rock Hill, SC. He had a dental practice there and Lib had a job at the radio station. A cracked tooth led to that fateful meeting, and they were married in March of 1951. After that, she continued to crack him up.

They moved to Spartanburg and had two children. She is predeceased by her husband, Dr Stokes J. Smith and her son Stokes J. Smith Jr. She is survived by her daughter, Elisabeth (Christy) Smith Rous (husband, Christopher Hugh Rous) and her grandchildren, Stokes J. Smith III, Keisler Allen Smith (partner, Sydney Valenzuela), Michael Riley Jerome Smith, Katherine Elisabeth Rous (partner, Ross McCarthy), and Simon Joseph Rous.

Lib was an active member of the Spartanburg Junior League, DAR, DAC, and Colonial Dames. She loved The Little Theatre and spent many hours acting in plays and particularly enjoyed the Goodfellow follies. She received the David Reid Award in 2002 as a result.

Writing was a gift she shared. She contributed skits, poems, and programs for many organizations and even McCall's magazine, where she won a trip to California to be on the Art Linkletter Show.

Lib loved to boss folks around and was great as a wedding director at the Episcopal Church of the Advent, and let's not forget teaching all those debutantes to dance, which she and Doc did for many years.

Of course, her love of dance followed her through life. She was particularly fond of Shagging and was inducted into several halls of fame from 2012 onward with the SC State Hall of Fame at the age of 92.

Goodbye Lib! It was a life well lived, but the show must go on. You were well loved and will be missed.

Visitation will be 4:00-6:00pm on Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at Dunbar Funeral Home, 690 Southport Road, Roebuck, SC 29376.

Funeral services will be Wednesday, January 29, 2025 at 11:00am at The Episcopal Church of The Advent, 141 Advent St, Spartanburg, SC 29302. A reception will follow at the church. Graveside will be 1:15 in Oakwood Cemetery, 184 Oakwood Ave, Spartanburg, SC 29302.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Mobile Meals or The Spartanburg Little Theatre.