Wayne County, NC - Obituary of Florence S. Arcuri, 2004 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cynthia Florence "Flo" Smith Archuri February 3, 1923-June 5, 2004 [The following was in the funeral service brochure] Flo was born on February 3, 1923 to Sally Pipkin and Herman Moses Smith in Wayne County, NC. She was a shy child by her own accounts, with "carrot red" hair. The middle child of three children, she spent her childhood on her parents' farm in rural Wayne County, and along with her sister Grace and brother Wilbur, worked on the farm. She became an avid reader at an early age, the world of books offering her a chance to escape the confines of the farm. And so she became a mental traveler long before she ever got a chance to leave her home for the first time. By the time she graduated from high school at age sixteen, the valedictorian of her class of twenty-five, she had read every book in her high school library. Her parents did not have the financial means to send her to college, but Flo came to the attention of a kind and generous lady in Goldsboro, NC, Mrs. Gertrude Weil, who agreed to help finance a college education. It was a dream come true for Flo who left home to attend Western Carolina Teachers College in the mountains of western NC in 1939. At Western Carolina, Flo met two young girls, Page Sylvester (Edgerton) and Elizabeth Maness (O'Berry), who would remain her steadfast friends for the rest of her life. Flo never got her college degree, leaving in her third year of college. It was the middle of World War II and Flo went to Washington, DC to work for the federal government. She returned to Goldsboro in 1943, and there she met her future husband and love of her life, John "Johnny" Francis Acuri, who was stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. They met on a blind date and not long after, they were married on April 9, 1944. Flo then began her long career as a military wife. Flo and Johnny had two girls, Cynthia in 1947 and Patricia in 1950. Military life was briefly interrupted when Johnny bought a small farm in Faison, NC in 1949, and Flo found herself working on a farm again. She often said that she wasn't crazy about the idea of it all, but it was Johnny's dream to be a farmer, and so in her gentle way, she went along with it. Johnny went back into the military service during the Korean War and then remained in the Air Force until his retirement in 1965. During their life together, Flo and Johnny traveled extensively as the Air Force sent them to a new destination every few years. In 1954, they had their third daughter, Nancy, while stationed in Florida. Flo was a wonderful mother and wife during all of those many years of packing and moving and resettling, always giving her family a sense of security and making each new home a place that was safe and familiar. She was a simply wonderful cook (famous for her pies) and is responsible for all of her daughters and grandchildren having a irrepressible sweet tooth. She was a gifted seamstress, and she made all of her children's clothes as they grew up, even those special prom gowns that meant so much. And she loved music. She loved to sing and always sang in her church choir wherever she lived. She taught herself to play the piano, and she made sure that there was always a piano in her home so that her girls could have music lessons. She was a doting grandmother to her seven grandchildren and a loving aunt to her many nieces and nephews, always involved in their lives. After Johnny died in 1970, Flo remained active in her community. She worked at Demaine Funeral Home for 25 years. She was an active member of the Meals on Wheels organization, an enthusiastic member of Sweet Adelines for 27 years, and a member of Grace Presbyterian Church for 33 years, serving as chairperson of the Congregational Care committee for many of those years. She was always available to those who needed her. Ironically Flo never thought that there was anything special about her or the way she lived her life. After she became ill and was the recipient of such tremendous outpouring of affection and generosity from her many friends, she was truly amazed to find out how much she was loved and appreciated. That realization was a great gift to her. Flo's focus was always on her family, her many cherished friends, and her faith. Flo was a true optimist, and she saw the best in everyone and every situation. At the end of her life, Flo said many times that she had been very blessed and that she had had a wonderful life. She would have wanted all of us who knew and loved her to take comfort in that she has gone to be with the Lord. We will miss her, and we will remember and love her always. [Sallie Geneva Pipkin was a daughter of Moses & Cintilla Coates Pipkin] ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Guy Potts ___________________________________________________________________