Jill Bryan Smith

Jill Bryan Smith, 92, of Decatur, Georgia, died peacefully at home on September 16, 2026. She was born on February 12, 1934, in Brooklet, Georgia, the youngest of T.R. and Lois Bryan’s five children, and their only daughter. She met her beloved, Durwood Ellsworth Smith (known to all as ‘Smitty’), at Tybee Island, Georgia when she was too young to get married. Smitty, a Naval veteran of World War II and traveling salesman, would have to wait patiently while she went away to school at Casements Junior College in Ormond Beach, Florida. In an ironic twist, however, his company soon transferred his sales territory to include Florida, and it wasn’t long before the adept charmer was regularly escorting a carload of young ladies, including Jill, to church in Ormond Beach. (In her parents’ first telephone call with the school, the headmistress surprised them by exclaiming, “That Mr. Smith is the nicest young man!”) Smitty and Jill’s obvious compatibility and compelling love for each other quickly removed any parental doubts, and the two were married in Brooklet, Georgia on December 17, 1950. They made their first home in Savannah, where their two children were born: Rusty in 1952 and Bryan in 1955. Smitty wrote eloquently to Jill of the gifts God had given them in their children, that He had made their joy complete, and described Jill as being “the prize at the end of my every rainbow.”

The family’s life together was always marked by a sense of generosity and openhearted hospitality that started at home: Jill and Smitty’s door was always open, there were extra seats at the table, and the guest room was ready for a welcome visitor. That same generosity was evident in the attentive care they lavished not only on their family and friends, but also on their neighbors in Diamond Head, their congregational brothers and sisters (at every church they attended, from Savannah to Jacksonville to Chicago to Atlanta), and their co-workers and colleagues.

Jill made her career in the book world, ultimately finding a professional home at Peachtree Publishing, where she relished working with authors and colleagues who shared her love for the written word. Jill’s loyal dedication to Peachtree continued far beyond her retirement, and her great-grandchildren’s bookshelves are testament to her love for a good book published by Peachtree! She ended her career there as

Vice-President of Sales and Marketing, retiring in order to focus on caring for her husband in his declining health. Soon she was joined in that endeavor by their son Rusty. After Smitty died on March 7, 2007, Rusty faithfully stayed on, providing dedicated care and loving companionship to Jill until the very end.

Jill (or ‘Mammy,’ as she came to be known once her grandchildren were born) was a vibrant and beautiful soul whose dramatic talent was lost to the stage; but her creative gifts were not thereby lost to the world. She channeled them into her family, into her work in the publishing industry, and into her everyday life, always bringing out the best in the people whose lives she touched — encouraging, mentoring, and loving without stint. She adored her brothers and all her life cherished their wives and families. She was a faithful wife and loving mother, and an affectionate and fun grandmother (and great-grandmother). Her devotion to her family and to open-handed compassion was built on the solid foundation of her faith in Jesus Christ.

Jill was preceded in death by her beloved husband Durwood Ellsworth Smith. She is survived by her son Rusty Smith and her daughter Bryan Smith Creasy, her son-in-law Neil Creasy, her grandchildren Sanders Creasy (and partner Nina Aron) and Emmeline Creasy McWilliams (and husband Bobby McWilliams), and her great grandchildren (Nola Hope, James, Oliver, and Miles McWilliams). She is also survived by her beloved niece Deidre Bryan, of Gainesville, Florida, sister-in-law Elsie Bryan, of Celebration, Florida, and a crowd of nieces and nephews with families whom she continued to cherish to her last days.

Services will be held at Oak Grove United Methodist Church on October 3, 2026 at 1:00 p.m., with a reception to follow. A livestream link will be available upon request of the family. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to the Oak Grove United Methodist Church Library to commemorate and continue Jill’s founding work there, that the joy she found in motivating others to read may live on.