Jane Smallman

Jane Thuston Smallman died peacefully at age 95 on April 8, 2017 at Roswell Nursing & Rehab in Roswell, Georgia. She was born on March 9, 1922 in Birmingham, Alabama. She was predeceased by her parents Elmer Clement Thuston and Mabel Waters Thuston, her sister Mabel Thuston Turner, her brother Elmer C Thuston Jr, and her granddaughter Jennifer Michele Smallman.

Jane was raised in the Forest Park area of Birmingham and in Avondale Methodist Church. She attended Avondale Elementary School and Ramsay High School (Class of 1940) in Birmingham. She then attended St Mary's College in Raleigh, North Carolina and also the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she graduated with a Bachelor Of Science degree on June 5, 1944. Jane taught school for a year in St Louis after college and then returned to Birmingham where she married and raised her family. She was a long time member of South Highland Presbyterian and Briarwood Presbyterian churches in Birmingham. In 1985, she moved to Alpharetta, Georgia to be near her son Ralph and his family. There she was a dedicated member of Crabapple First Baptist Church.

Jane loved the Lord, her family (who all knew her as Mur), her four grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren who brought her so much joy! She also enjoyed Bible study, cooking, gardening, nature, and walking. She was an avid walker until age 89. Jane had a dedicated alumni of children, now adults and many with their own children, whom she had cared for as a babysitter over the years. Jane was seen by all who knew her as a woman with much grace and light, a sweet southern voice, and a gentle, loving, and kind soul committed to her Lord Jesus Christ. So many are thankful for her influence on their lives.

She is survived by her son Ralph A Smallman III (Carol), Alpharetta, Georgia; her grandchildren Melissa Smallman Hunt (Todd) and 2 great-grandchildren, Parker, Colorado; Kevin A Smallman (Kelley) and 3 great-grandchildren, Fort Mill, South Carolina; and J Chad Smallman (Sandi) and 2 great-grandchildren, Statesboro, Georgia. Also by 6 nephews and 5 nieces, including Emily Golden, Birmingham, who provided so much love and care to Jane in her later years.

A graveside service will be held on Monday April 17, 2017, at 2 pm at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

http://www.dignitymemorial.com/arlington-memorial-park/en-us/index.page

Honorary pall bearers will be Kevin Smallman, Chad Smallman, Joshua Smallman, Todd Hunt, and Jay Hunt.

The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, her friends consider a donation in Jane's name to one of these three organizations which she loved very much.

FOCUS - Families Of Children Under Stress, Atlanta, GA

https://focus-ga.org/about-us/

or

Crabapple First Baptist Church (Children's Ministries), Milton, GA

http://www.crabapplefbc.org/Give-an-Offering

or

Agape Hospice Care, Marietta, Georgia

http://agapehospicecare.net/agapewp/

Arrangements under the direction of Advantage Funeral & Cremation Service, Lilburn, GA.