Miriam Henry

Miriam Eloise Smoak Henry passed away peacefully at home in Myrtle Beach, SC, on Wednesday, April 13, 2016, after four and a half years of declining health. Miriam was born on October 5, 1922, in Hudson, NC, the eldest child of Cecilia Agnes McMahon Smoak and John Tucker Smoak. When she was a child, Miriam's parents moved to be near family in Pacolet, SC, and it was there that Miriam spent most of her life. She graduated from Pacolet High School in 1939 as valedictorian of her class. As a talented pianist and vocalist, she often participated in musical productions; she represented the community as Miss Pacolet in the Miss South Carolina pageant; and she was quite an accomplished Jitterbug dancer. Miriam attended Robinson's Business College and after graduation was employed by the Spartanburg County Magistrate's office. While working there she met a handsome Wofford College student/part-time Spartanburg County police officer named John Webster Henry. Miriam and, by then First Lieutenant, Henry were married in 1944, and she accompanied him to military bases in Merced, California, and Lincoln, Nebraska, until the end of World War II. Once the war ended, Miriam and John returned to Spartanburg County and soon set up residence in Pacolet. They were both very active in the community, and as a lifelong member of Pacolet United Methodist Church, Miriam served in numerous capacities through the years- from organist to Girl Scout leader. In the early 1950's Miriam began what would be a 30 year career as a Federal Court Reporter in the US District Court of South Carolina. She was one of the first and few reporters who recorded court proceedings in Gregg shorthand. During her career she served under The Honorable Cecil Wyche, The Honorable Donald Russell, The Honorable J. Robert Martin, and The Honorable Robert F. Chapman. She also collaborated on the writing of a history of the District Court in South Carolina. Miriam's other career in life was that of devoted caregiver. She cared for her husband, then her mother during many years of illness and debilitation and for her brother in the last weeks of his life. Miriam put the needs of others far ahead of her own and sacrificed greatly in order to insure that those she loved were well cared for. Miriam loved her family and her extended family above everything else, and she was very much the "keeper of the records" for all family history. She also enjoyed painting and gardening, and her love of learning led her to fulfill a lifelong ambition of receiving a college degree when she graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1991 (at the age of 69) from Wofford College with a degree in History. Miriam was predeceased by her parents, her husband, John Webster Henry and her brother, John McMahon Smoak. She is survived by her daughter, Cecilia Henry Mims (George) of Myrtle Beach, SC; her brother, Harold Garland Smoak (Elaine) of Foley, AL; and her grandchildren, Miriam Elizabeth Mims Donley (Owen) of Washington, DC, and John Roland Mims (Ashby) of Chicago, IL. She lived to know and adore five great-grandchildren, four of whom had many opportunities to interact with her and will carry happy memories of those times: Margaret Cecilia Donley, John Henry Peyre Mims, Elizabeth Tillotson Donley, Roland Bacot Mims, and Meriwether Elizabeth Mims. She is also survived by two nieces, Beanie Smoak Subick (Greg) of Nashville TN and Cynthia Smoak Micci (Ken) of Memphis TN; a grandnephew and grandniece, Ian King (Jana) and Elizabeth Eads; and by her cousins, Dr. Randolph Smoak (Saundra) of Mt. Pleasant, SC, Harriet Smoak of Columbia, SC, Happy Henry of Columbia, SC, and Jeanette McMahon Williams of Atlanta, GA. For almost three years Miriam was blessed by the meticulous and extraordinarily loving care of Bridget Shelley. Bridget not only cared for her physical needs, but she also made life fun for Miriam despite her debilitated state. The family will be eternally grateful for Bridget's devotion. The family will receive visitors from 4:00-6:00 PM Sunday, April 17, 2016, at Floyd's Greenlawn Chapel, 2075 E. Main St., Spartanburg, SC 29307. A graveside service will be conducted at 11:30 AM Monday, April 18, 2016, in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens, 1300 Fernwood-Glendale Rd., Spartanburg, SC 29307, with the Reverend Louis M. Mims, Jr. officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The John Webster Henry Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Spartanburg Methodist College, 1000 Powell Mill Road, Spartanburg, SC 29301. Floyd's Greenlawn Chapel To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Miriam Smoak Henry please visit our Sympathy Store.