Lynette Smith Preddy

Lynette Smith Preddy
Lynette Smith Preddy, age 96, of Charlottesville, Va. passed away peacefully at home on January 3, 2024.Born Marion Lynette Smith, she was the youngest and last-surviving of the eleven children of Noah Webster Smith and Sarah Ella (Sadie) Lohr Smith of Orange, Va. She was preceded in death by husband Willis Reeves Preddy, Jr. of Orange, and is survived by sons Carl Reeves Preddy or Barboursville, Va. and Mark Edward Preddy of New River, Az., as well as by five grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Her grandchildren are Michael Edward Preddy of Atlanta, Ga, Christine Louise Preddy of Hillsborough, NC, Anne Preddy Vachon of Orlando, Fl., Maria Ruth Preddy, and Melanie Grace Preddy of New River, Az. Her great-grandchildren are Adam Leland Preddy, Sage Olivia Preddy, Phoebe Alexandra Preddy of Atlanta, Ga., and Eloise Rose Vachon of Orlando, Fl.She attended Orange High School, class of 1945, working some summers at the Silk Mill. After graduation, she moved to Washington DC, and worked several jobs during WW II. Returning to Orange, she met Willis “Gait” Preddy Jr., a Navy veteran and aspiring musician. They were married in June 1952 and remained together until his passing in 1973. He established Preddy’s Jewelry on Preston Ave. in Charlottesville. Upon his passing she assumed ownership of the business, running it successfully for about 30 years. Not only did she manage the shop, she was also its only salesperson, decorator, and engraver of cups and plaques.Her lifelong interests were homemaking, vegetable gardening, flower arranging, travel, and gathering with family and friends. She was a charter member of the Dogwood Garden Club, and proud of her contributions to Preddy Creek Baptist Church, where for several years she created the altar arrangements.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, January 12, 2024, at 2 pm at Orange Baptist Church with burial in Graham Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Thursday from 6 pm to 7 pm at the Preddy Funeral Home, Orange, Va.Lynette was a member of Orange Baptist Church, where as a teenager she sang in the choir. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in her memory be made to that church.
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