Jean McIntyre Smith

Hendersonville - Jean M. Smith died peacefully on August 27, 2025.

Jean's devoted husband James F. ("Jim") Smith preceded her in death on February 3, 2025, just after they celebrated 70 years of marriage.

Jean and Jim were both North Carolina natives. Jean graduated from the Women's College of North Carolina. Jim graduated from UNC Chapel Hill college and law school, and joined the US Army during the Korean War. Jean and Jim married on January 16,1955, and moved to Atlanta in 1957, where Jim became a labor and employment lawyer with the National Labor Relations Board. While still a young attorney, he became senior labor counsel for Westinghouse Corporation, an employer with over 100,000 unionized employees. Jim guided Westinghouse in navigating the rapidly evolving labor relations laws regarding discrimination in the workplace, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. He made legal history drafting one of the first affirmative action plans for a major employer under the new laws.

Jim left Westinghouse in 1964 to join the Atlanta law firm of legendary labor attorney Frank Constangy. He went on to become a name partner of the firm Constangy, Brooks, Smith, and Prophete, and worked there for over 45 years. He was widely respected as a wise counselor and also one of the firm's most kind and caring partners.

Jean and Jim started their family in 1959, which grew to include 4 children, 9 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. They established themselves as prominent citizens of Atlanta, making their home at 1950 West Paces Ferry Road a gathering place for many events. They were selected (among many other things) as Friendship Force ambassadors to China in the early 1990's. Jim and Jean were both leading members of North Decatur Presbyterian and Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, and First Presbyterian Church of Hartwell, Georgia. They sang together in the church choirs together for over 60 years, and both served as elders at Peachtree. Jean was also president of the Women of the Church, and taught Sunday School. She led volunteer groups across Atlanta, serving terms as president of the Alliance Children's Theater Guild, Atlanta Salvation Army Auxiliary, Northside Women's Club, and the Garden Club. She was an active member of the Southern Order of Storytellers. She taught poetry to women at the Atlanta Union Mission, and performed in community theater. She also delighted her grandchildren and their schoolmates when she made appearances costumed as a fairy godmother in their schools.

Jean and Jim always made their homes welcome places of music, laughter, and love, shared often with family and friends. In 1969, they bought a little cottage on Lake Hartwell and spent many happy years there fishing, boating, and gardening, including growing apples, grapes and tending to their bee hives. In 1999, they retired and made Hartwell their permanent home, where they continued cultivating their land, family, faith, and community. They traveled all around the world, yet always made their home and family first priority. Jim extensively researched and documented his family history, and Jean organized and hosted many reunions of her large extended family.

Their legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of their wonderful children, grandchildren, extended family, many friends, and the communities of people they touched. They both were surrounded by loving family at their passing, and their final words were, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, we have been so blessed

Online condolences may be left at www.moodyconnollyfuneralhome.com.

Moody Connolly Funeral Home is caring for the family.