Sarah Firebaugh Smith
Sarah Firebaugh Smith, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully in her sleep on March 12, 2024 at the Franklin Health and Rehabilitation Center in Rocky Mount, Virginia, just 4 days after her 85th birthday. She had briefly been in hospice care.
Sarah was born Sarah Jane Firebaugh on March 8, 1939 in Eagle Rock, Virginia to Herman Louis Firebaugh and Ruth Frances Ikenberry. She spent her childhood in Botetourt and Powhatan Counties before moving to Fairfax County as a teenager in the early 1950’s. She graduated from Fairfax High School in 1957, where she played the trumpet in the school band and was an editor of the yearbook. She then graduated in 1961 from the College of William and Mary where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and the Phi Betta Kappa honor society.
Following graduation Sarah taught elementary school for two years in Baltimore, Maryland. She married her high school sweetheart Leland W. Smith, Jr. in 1963. This past July they celebrated 60 years of marriage. After a brief stint in Charlottesville, Virginia, Sarah and Leland returned to Fairfax County where they lived in Fairfax and then Centreville for a combined 30 years. She taught elementary school in Fairfax County for 15 years before retiring in 1984 due to chronic illness. She was lovingly cared for the rest of her life by Leland and their two children Jennifer and Kyle. She lived the last 30 years of her life in Franklin County, Virginia.
Sarah’s hobbies included reading mystery novels, knitting, keeping in touch with longtime friends from high school and college, and watching daytime soap operas and game shows. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and United Daughters of the Confederacy.
She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Leland W. Smith, Jr.; her daughter, Jennifer Smith of Fairfax, Virginia; her son, Kyle Courtnall (Dr. Nancy Clark) of Annapolis, Maryland; two grandchildren, Allison Courtnall and Adam Courtnall; her older sister, Charlotte Holbrook of Salt Lake City, Utah; several nieces and nephews, and numerous cousins (she estimated at one point in her life she had over 50 cousins).
A memorial service will be held on Monday, April 1, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 15 E. Church Street, Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151. The family will receive visitors one hour prior to the service in the Parish Hall. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Trinity Episcopal Church. Arrangements by Flora Funeral Service and Cremation Center, Rocky Mount.
