Mary was born on February 5, 1945 in Statesville, NC to William Franklin Smith and Ann Pervis (Weber) Smith. She lived for a time in Statesville, NC primarily with her beloved grandparents, Emma (King) Weber and Jeffrey Weber. Her life was shaped by this time with her grandparents, especially at age 10 when she heard her grandmother reciting John 14 verses 1 through 4 “Do not let your hearts be troubled . . . “ to her grandfather when he was dying. She always spoke about this important moment in her life.
After graduating from Fayetteville Senior High School in Fayetteville, NC in 1962 Mary graduated in 1966 from East Carolina College with a major in accounting. With her degree in hand she decided to find work in our nation's capital, Washington DC, with the help and support of her loving cousins, Lucy B and Helen. She soon found work at a small accounting firm and she later worked for the Internal Revenue Service as an auditor. In 1967 she married James Trum and became a full-time mother to Christopher, Brian, and Adam. She travelled extensively and spent three years in Santiago, Chile when her husband was assigned to the US embassy there. While there she had the trip of a lifetime when she accompanied her husband to Antarctica to visit the Chilean base. She returned to North Carolina around 1982 and in 1984 moved to Raleigh, NC with her three sons. She worked at NC State University and started to attend the Baptist Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. A devoted Christian, she heard God calling her to a full-time ministry. She followed his call and earned a Master of Divinity from Duke University in 1993. She was ordained into the United Methodist Church and served at the First United Methodist Church in Washington, NC and at the British Methodist Church near NewCastle Upon Tyne, England. She married Robert Bert Faoro in 1994.
Mary always loved spending time with her grandchildren. She enjoyed cultivating flowers with
Bob in their garden. She was an avid reader and enjoyed music and dancing. Most importantly she was a devout Christian and dedicated her time to the Celebrate Recovery program at Crossroads Fellowship. She was also a volunteer Chaplin at Wake Correctional Center for about three years.
Mary is preceded in death by her father, William, and her mother, Ann.
She is survived by her devoted husband Bob, her three children Chris, Brian, and Adam, her sisters Ann Carol Smith and Lucy Hobbs, and her three grandchildren Emma, Dane, and Jackson.
A memorial service will be held at the Snow Creek United Methodist Church outside of Statesville, NC on October 2, 2021 at 11am. Reception will follow the outdoor service. Donations can be made to the Triangle Aphasia Project Unlimited in Cary, NC.
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