Rosalind S. Abernathy

1925 - 2021

Rosalind S. Abernathy
October 12, 1925 - June 17, 2021
Durham, North Carolina - Dr. Rosalind Smith Abernathy, 95, of Little Rock, Ark., and Durham, N.C., died on June 17, 2021, in the company of her family at her home in The Forest at Duke, Durham.
Rosalind "Ros" Gower Smith was born on Oct. 12, 1925, in Greenville, S.C., and raised in Durham, N.C., the only child of Susan Gower Smith, research scientist, and David Tillerson Smith, professor at the Duke University School of Medicine. Ros attended Westtown School in Westtown, Pa., and then earned her undergraduate degree from Duke University in 1945. She went on to attend Duke University School of Medicine, where she met fellow student Robert "Bob" Abernathy. Ros and Bob were married on April 2, 1949, at Duke University Chapel, and both received their medical degrees that same year. Ros completed her residency in pediatrics at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Ros and Bob moved to Little Rock, Ark., in 1957. Ros became an instructor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). She worked at UAMS, serving in numerous capacities, for 55 years. Ros was board certified in allergy and immunology, but in addition to treating allergies she was instrumental in treating tuberculosis and cystic fibrosis patients across the entire state of Arkansas. She mentored hundreds of medical students over the years, including Joycelyn Elders, who later became Surgeon General of the United States. Ros was a pediatric consultant for the Tuberculosis Program for the Arkansas Department of Health, an allergy consultant and instructor at the Pine Bluff regional campus of the UAMS, director of Pediatric Ambulatory Services, director of the UAMS Arkansas Cystic Fibrosis Center, director of the Pediatric Allergy Clinic at Arkansas Children's Hospital, and staff physician at the Arkansas Children's Colony at Conway.
Ros was also a founding member of the Friends Meeting in Little Rock and was one of the pillars of that organization for decades. Ros was a long-time member of the Arkansas Choral Society, a gardener, and a runner who enjoyed competing in local races. She enjoyed travelling and family camping trips on the Buffalo River in Arkansas. In 2012 Ros and Bob moved back to Durham where they were happy to be near their daughter Susie.
Ros will be deeply missed by her five children and their spouses: Robert Abernathy Jr. (Emily) of Atlanta; David Abernathy (Rhonda) of Morganton, N.C.; Susan Abernathy (Stephen Helton) of Durham; Thomas Abernathy (Elin Waring) of City Island, N.Y.; and Douglas Abernathy (Elizabeth) of Oak Ridge, Tenn. She is also survived by nine grandchildren, Steven Abernathy, Emma Abernathy, Kelli Abernathy Shackelford, Kristan Abernathy, Linnea Abernathy, Robert Waring Abernathy, Rose Abernathy Keller, Celia Abernathy Bayliss, and Jane Abernathy; and two great- grandchildren, Sage Shackelford and James Shackelford.
A memorial service will be held in Durham at a future date.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Ros' memory to the Little Rock Friends Meeting or the Durham Friends Meeting, or to the charity of choice. Online condolences CremationSocietyNC.com