Evelyn Taylor Smith Barron

Evelyn Taylor Smith “Lynn” Barron died on May 26, 2021. Because her elegance and effervescence made the world around her sparkle like champagne or morning dew, her husband, Porter Barron, who preceded her in death, addressed her daily as “Light of my life” for fifty years of marriage.

Mrs. Barron was the oldest child of the late Mr. J. Ed and Marie (Tot) Smith, born on May 16, 1944, in the Greenwood Hospital. She also was preceded in death by her beloved brother, Taylor Smith.

Mrs. Barron is survived by her son, Porter Barron, Jr., his wife, Shannon and their daughter, Mila. She also is survived by her brother Taylor’s wife, Johnnie, and their children, Marie Brown and Dr. Drew Smith; as well as Mrs. Barron’s dear sister, Totsie Moore, her husband, Jimmy, and their children, Elizabeth Pearson and James “Boo” Moore. “Aunt Lynn” adored her great-nieces and -nephews, Mark, Taylor, her namesake Evelyn, Francis, Merritt, and James.

Mrs. Barron graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in English from the University of South Carolina. She also held a Master’s in library science from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her career as a librarian and educator spanned almost four decades, including tenures at The University of South Carolina’s McKissick, South Caroliniana, and Thomas Cooper Libraries, as well as over two decades as Upper School Librarian at Hammond School. She loved young adult literature and was known to part waters in order to locate a book for a student. She applied that same approach to caring for her friends, who were many and motley.

Mrs. Barron enjoyed long memberships in several local organizations that fueled her zest for life and learning: The University’s Thomas Cooper Society: Gardens, Etc.; Thursday Study Club; and the Loblolly Society, for which she wrote papers based on her original research into topics such as Women’s Suffrage in South Carolina and the persecution of German-Americans in South Carolina during World War I.

A graveside service will take place at Elmwood Cemetery on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at 11:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the South Caroliniana Library, The University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208.