Audrey M Smith

Audrey Lee McCarney Smith passed away on Sunday, October 11, 2026 at Waynesboro Hospital surrounded by family.

“When I look out at the big, white, puffy clouds,” she said in the days before she passed, “I see Jesus walking, and he is holding my hand.”

It is impossible to sum up a life in 1,000 words. Audrey was a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a nurse, a Red Hatter, a friend, an aunt, a Veteran, an example of strength, and loved with all of her being. To be loved by Audrey was a gift and the greatest joy.

She was born on December 18, 1937, at Waynesboro Hospital, the first daughter of Lula Mae (Welty) McCarney and Herbert N. McCarney. Audrey is preceded in death by her parents and beloved siblings. She is survived by her husband, William (Bill) Lamar Smith, of Waynesboro; children Brad Smith; Melanie Sanders and her husband, Brian; Brian Smith and his wife, Fawn; and Melinda Morris and her husband, John; 15 grandchildren; and 30 great-grandchildren.

Audrey married Bill, her high school sweetheart, in 1954 and moved to Lock Haven for Bill to start college and her to finish high school. Except, in 1954, married women were not allowed in school. Nothing was going to stop Audrey. At 5’0”, she was small in stature, mighty in spirit, and a force to be reckoned with. No one was going to tell her no. Together, she and Bill plead their case to the school principal, and she graduated in 1955.

They moved to Dover, Delaware for Bill’s job after college. They had Brad and Melanie, and Audrey wanted to go to college to be a nurse. She was accepted into a nursing program but was forced to drop out when she became pregnant with Brian – pregnant women were not allowed at the university. Disappointed at the school’s policy, Audrey put her dream on hold. After the birth of Melinda, their family moved to Waynesboro.

Audrey adored her kids. She rocked her children, and later her grandchildren, to sleep. “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” was the song of choice, but only the first verse, on repeat, until they finally slept. As a mother, she worked multiple jobs to make ends meet and took on extra work to provide wonderful Christmases for her family. Many times, she worked overnight at the Waynesboro Hospital switchboard from 11PM – 7 AM. Once her shift ended, she would walk down the hall to her full-time day job at the hospital pathology lab, where she took dictation for Dr. Hall. Seasonally, she would also work at the Sears catalog store, all to ensure that her kids would have storybook holidays and vacations. All of her children were active in sports, and she and Bill supported and attended everything they could. Busy is an understatement.

By 1982, Brad, Melanie, Brian, and Melinda were adults and Audrey applied to Pennsylvania State University’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program, as part of the Nurse Army Reserve Corps. She was accepted and graduated at age 50 in 1987; the same year her son Brian graduated from West Chester University. She served ten years in the United States Army, including a tour in Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm. She was honorably discharged in August 1997 as a First Lieutenant and continued to work as a nurse until her retirement from Washington Country Detention Center when she was 74.

The role of her lifetime was Grandma. Audrey made up her mind that she “was going to know my grandkids and they were going to know me.” She explained that her grandparents were not active in her life, and she was going to do things differently. The result? She held the map of their childhood. She didn’t just witness it; she created it. She hosted weekly Sunday dinners, and despite her children telling her it was too much, every Sunday, the family arrived at Grandma’s house. Her freezer was magic, never empty of popsicles. Each grandchild was sent home with a “snack bag,” pre-made Ziplock bags of goodies straight from Grandma’s heart to theirs.

She was never too tired to have her grandchildren at her house. Sick kiddo? Send them over. Want to spend the night at Grandma’s? Send them over! Need someone to watch the kids? No problem, she would love them and fill their bellies with strawberries and bananas. With 15 grandchildren, she fearlessly took large groups of small children on adventures, to Playland, to run wild on the Gettysburg Battlefields and then to the Lincoln Diner, to Chestnut Logs for breakfast, and anywhere her heart desired. She visited her grandchildren across the country and worked to make sure that even if they lived in Montana or New Mexico or Waynesboro, they all knew each other and they all knew her. She loved to travel and explore new places. After a trip to Hawaii, she hosted Luaus at her house, including grass skirts and lots of pineapple, so she could share her experience with everyone. She always kissed her grandchildren good-bye, somehow accidentally on their ear instead of their cheek, and commented “oh, you smell so good!”

She held her sisters close to her heart. The three of them delighted in their Irish heritage and one of their “Sisters” trips included a trip to Ireland. They celebrated each St. Patrick’s Day with a Guiness. Her house was decorated with Irish Santa’s for Christmas, pineapples (which signify hospitality and welcome) and reminders of her faith. She was an outstanding cook and would cook not only her family’s prime rib and shrimp Christmas dinner, but a second one to take to work for her co-workers, who affectionately called her “Grandma Audrey.” Her favorite song was “Beautiful Dreamer,” the Bing Crosby version, and she herself was, in fact, a beautiful dreamer. She loved crab cakes, oysters, beer (Michelob Ultra, specifically) the beach, Florida, and her family. She and Bill celebrated 72 years of marriage this past April, a lifetime commitment to cherish each other, through sickness and health, for richer or poorer, and despite Bill’s terrible jokes.

She will be dearly missed. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Otterbein Church in Waynesboro with Pastor John Hoffman from 12:30-1:30 PM, with a celebration of a life well-lived to follow at the American Legion in Waynesboro, from 2-5 PM.

Donations in her memory may be made to the American Cancer Society.