Martha – “don’t call me Martha” – ANN Smith Eddy was born on July 29, 1938, in West Union, WV, to Mary Ford Smith and Earnest Forest Smith.
Growing up in a bucolic small town, Ann shone in the West Union marching band and 4-H home arts, and graduated at the top of her class.
Her greatest passion in life was her family, built in love with David C. Eddy, Sr., originally of Providence, RI, her husband of 61 years and partner in life for 65 years. She is predeceased by their first child, Earnest Warren Eddy, who died shortly after childbirth.
Ann and Dave moved to DC, following courtship and education at Alderson Broaddus College, where Ann graduated at the top of her class in nursing. Starting with $25 in their pockets, they built a life together in Montgomery County, MD, where they raised three children – David C. Eddy, Jr.; M. Dawn Molloy; and Linda C. Lamm – who, in turn, added to the family through marriages to spouses whom Ann considered her own children, too – Valerie Ann Smith Eddy (Ann reveled in the similarity of their names), Robert J. Molloy, and Joseph A. Lamm. The legacy continued through eight beloved grandchildren: Laura Eddy, Colin Eddy (married to Kimberly Leuthold Eddy, with first great grandchild Harper), Fiona Molloy, Cole Molloy, Peter Molloy, Mary Kate Lamm, Matthew Lamm, and Abby Lamm. Upon becoming a grandmother, Ann received her most cherished title: “MomMom.” She passed on a love of her native mountains through family retreats to their “Cardinal Haus” in Canaan Valley, WV.
The daughter of teachers, Ann followed her parents into a professional life of service – through nursing. Early in her career, she
was a visiting nurse in Washington, DC, and was on the nursing staff of newly-opened Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring. Later, she found her calling working with patients in nursing homes. While she was an outstanding nurse, Ann was also a gifted manager, and was quickly promoted in every position she assumed. She concluded her career as Director of Utilization Review at Washington Adventist Hospital, where three of her grandchildren were born. She proudly bequeathed her nursing pin to granddaughter Mary Kate Lamm, upon her graduation from nursing school.
Ann loved animals. While raising children, she filled her home with a menagerie (cats, dogs, hamsters, gerbils, fish) and passed her love of animals to her family. Her puggle Winnie mourns her loss.
She enjoyed watching sports, including a family trip to the Montreal Olympics, Washington Capitals hockey, and Baltimore Orioles baseball. She remembered fondly Baltimore’s All-Star game, notably where daughter Linda met husband Joe. While her pride for her Terrapin children’s and grandchildren’s academic accomplishments cannot be underestimated, she became a diehard Buckeyes fan on Fiona’s entry to The Ohio State (just in time to sway their attainment of the National Championship), and swore allegiance to the Fighting Irish with Abby’s matriculation at Notre Dame last fall.
Ann had a quiet but mighty spirit, and a quick, dry sense of humor. She beat cancer twice. Her fortitude shone during the year of pandemic shutdown, in which she renewed her joy of cooking; hunkered down with puzzles, good mysteries, and her beloved puggle Winnie; enjoyed fellowship and Zoom Bible study and worship with new friends at St. John’s Norwood Episcopal Church; and luxuriated in Dave’s love and companionship over candlelight dinners at home.
In non-pandemic times, Ann and Dave enjoyed traveling annually to New Orleans and attending worship at Montgomery Hills Baptist Church, where Ann sang alto in the choir and helped prepare fellowship dinners for many years. As the family grew, family celebrations did, too. Every family birthday was an event, but all were eclipsed by blowout celebrations of her 50th wedding anniversary and 80th birthday. Wherever they went, Ann and Dave made cherished friends with people from all over the world. Everyone who met Ann loved and respected her.
In lieu of flowers, and in celebration of Ann’s love for animals, memorial donations can be made to Best Friends Animal Society at https://bestfriends.org.
Visitation was held 1 to 4PM on September 6 and 10 to 11AM, September 7. Funeral Services were held on 11Am on September 7th.
Condolences may be made on the Hines-Rinaldi Funeral Home, Silver Springs MD website.