Lilly Mae Smoot

Beloved Aunt and Second Mother

February 25, 1938—April 13, 2025

Lilly M. Smoot, 87, of Falls Church, Virginia, passed away at home on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Her niece, Carrie, and her caregiver were with her. A strong woman in all ways, Lilly fought a long battle against Alzheimer’s disease.

Originally from Nicholas County, West Virginia, Lilly was born in Crichton and raised in Hominy Falls. She was born on February 25, 1938 to Ernest Doutin and Laura Smoot. She graduated from Richwood High School in May 1955 with a focus on business.

A job search brought Lilly to the Washington area in 1959. She never married, but made her home with her sister, Viola, brother, James, and mother, Laura, in Arlington, Virginia. Her niece, Carrie, came along in 1964. The family eventually moved to Falls Church.

Lilly settled happily into working life with the telephone company, then known as Chesapeake & Potomac, or C &P Telephone. She worked her way up to an administrative position in its security office. Eventually she made management, running a call center and supervising workers. She was a member of the Telephone Pioneers of America, a volunteer organization. A 1977 Pioneers-sponsored trip to Hawaii was her favorite vacation. In 1995, she retired from Verizon after thirty-six years of employment.

Lilly’s helpfulness, good nature, and sense of humor carried over into her quiet home life. She loved music and singing, and was always kidding around. She enjoyed family vacations and everyday life. She looked out for her siblings and mother and nursed them through various illnesses until they each passed away. Lilly, along with everyone else, helped Viola raise Carrie, who has cerebral palsy. When the time came, Carrie made sure Lilly was well cared for. Lilly also helped other relatives, friends, and neighbors, and anyone else who needed it. Although she won no formal awards, she was truly the “World’s Greatest Aunt” and the best “mother-aunt” ever!

Lilly is preceded in death by her parents, Ernest and Laura, siblings Early Eugene Smoot of Fayetteville, WV; Cecil Ruby Smith of Leivasy, WV; Viola Alice Smoot of Falls Church, VA; Ernest Eber Smoot of Leivasy, WV; Ruth Strosnider of Baltimore, MD, and James E. Smoot of Falls Church, VA. Two other brothers, Buster and Everette, died when they were toddlers.

Lilly is survived by her niece, Carrie Smoot, of Falls Church, Virginia; niece Judith A. Blanchard and her husband, John of Torrington, Connecticut; niece Jennifer Heaps of Street, Maryland, and her husband Alan; nephew Gene Smoot and niece Jeannette Smoot of Fayetteville, West Virginia; great-niece Pamula Whitlock of Leivasy, West Virginia, and more great-nieces and great-nephews.

Flowers may be sent to National Memorial Park, 7482 Lee Highway Falls Church, VA 22042. Donations in Lilly’s name may be sent to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Carrie and Judy extend heartfelt thanks to Lilly’s longtime caregivers, Edna Augustt and Lydia Konadu. Appreciation also goes to Eunice Gyimadoh, owner of Authentic Homecare and Nursing Services, Dumfries, Virginia.

Graveside services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, May 30, 2025 with a Christian minister officiating. Burial will follow at National Memorial Park, 7482 Lee Highway Falls Church, VA 22042. Arrangements are by National Funeral Home in Falls Church, Virginia.

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How can you convey in just a few lines just how much someone means to you, and who that person was? Forgive me, everyone, if I have gone on too long. I’ve been crying a lot lately. Lilly would want me to go on, however, and be happy. Maybe I will actually feel that one day.

I miss Lilly a lot; that will always be so. She has been with me all my life, until now. I remember her voice, her laughter whenever she told jokes, and her wide, joyful smile that appeared when she was comfortable with the people around her. Whenever I was down, she could always cheer me up with a bear hug. Just as my mother could, she always knew when something bothered me, and encouraged me to find a way to make everything better.

Everything I know about different music styles I learned from Lilly. She was always singing and dancing, with or without the radio. Because of Lilly I know the Great American Songbook and other tunes. Country music was also a family favorite. When she noticed that I listened to a lot of different songs, she advised me to keep it up. I always have.

In her spare time, Lilly did embroidery and painting crafts. Watching her, I was inspired to do the same. I wasn’t always good at it, but I had fun anyway. Like most of the family, she was a reader. Mysteries were her favorite. She loved animals, especially cats and dogs, and was very protective of birds and all creatures. If I happen to see a butterfly, I am reminded of Lilly because she loved them. She loved travel, television, and film and attended exhibits and concerts.

Born in Crichton, West Virginia, and raised in Hominy Falls, Lilly loved the mountains and being in the country. She graduated from Richwood High School in 1955, focusing on business.

In 1959, she moved to the Washington, DC area to look for work. She joined her sister Viola. It wasn’t long before their mother and brother James moved there, too. At various times, they lived in Washington, DC, Arlington, Virginia and Falls Church, Virginia. Her niece, Carrie, arrived in 1964.

Lilly always said she was lucky to find a job with the telephone company, then known as Chesapeake & Potomac, or C & P Telephone. She started out in the public relations office and after a while moved to a position in the security office, which matched her interest in law enforcement.

Over the years, Lilly was a caregiver to all her family. When the time came, as Lilly developed dementia and Alzheimer’s, Carrie took care of her, along with help from paid caregivers.

Graveside services will be held at National Memorial Park at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, May 30, 2025. The address is 7482 Lee Highway Falls Church, VA 22042. Flowers may be sent to this location. Alternatively, please donate in Lilly’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association.