Edwin (“Eddie”) Thompson Smith, Jr (5/28/1944-6/9/2026)

Eddie slipped away quietly and serenely after a one-night stay in Kate B. Reynolds Hospice House. Prior to that, he received several weeks of outstanding care in his beloved childhood home from Trellis Supportive Care. During his final weeks, Eddie never complained of pain or anxiety, and faced his upcoming death with the same good cheer with which he had faced life, saying “I had hoped to live to 100 and die on the dance floor, but if it’s my time, it’s my time.”

For his entire life, Eddie had a unique ability to see beauty everywhere- in every dew drop on a blade of grass, in the spiral of a broken snail shell, the chirp of crickets, and in the iridescent sheen on the feathers of a blackbird. Because of this, Eddie walked through a world of wonder. He enriched the lives of those around him by bringing our attention to marvels to which our eyes and ears were less attuned.

Eddie was born in Winston Salem NC, and was delighted to return to his childhood home for the last year and a half of his life. He was preceded in death by this parents, Edwin Thompson Smith Sr, and Hattie Lee Foster Smith; by his younger brother Larry Anthony Smith, and by his older brother Marcus Wesley Smith. Eddie is survived by numerous friends whose lives he enhanced, and by many devoted GTB brothers and sisters.

Eddie cherished memories of Crystal Lake in Winston Salem, where he worked as a lifeguard while in high school and where he developed his life-long love of dancing. Eddie loved music, particularly Soul and Rhythm and Blues. He was an avid dancer and had the honor of having a clogging step, “the Eddie,” named after him by the Green Grass Cloggers.

After high school, Eddie went to ECU on a diving scholarship but quickly redirected when he took a course in pottery, which became his lifelong passion. Eddie earned BFA and MFA degrees from ECU. He went on to make and sell pottery, and to teach pottery making at ECU, Duke University Crafts Center, Penland School of Craft in Bakersville, Greenwich House Pottery in NYC, Cooper Square Arts Center in NYC, and other settings. He was a foundational member of Lake Eden Arts Festival in Asheville and Piedmont Craftsmen in Winston Salem, and a fixture at the Carrboro Farmer’s Market. In pottery, Eddie’s focus was on functional wheel thrown ceramics using porcelain as well as other North Carolina clays. He was well known for his beautiful metallic glazes. He was also accomplished in drawing, photography, and textile art, although he created these works primarily for his own pleasure rather than for sale.

Bethabara Moravian Church in Winston Salem was always Eddie’s spiritual home, and he made frequent reference to the Church’s principles of love, hope, and tolerance. He linked his love of making pottery- particularly coffee mugs, to Love Feast celebrations, saying “I create personal objects that can be incorporated into the rituals and ceremonies of human life.”

A private memorial service will be held at a later time. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of Eddie’s designated beneficiaries: Penland School of Craft or Bethabara Moravian Church; or to Trellis Supportive Care, which provided the in-home hospice care that allowed Eddie to remain in his beloved childhood home as long as possible.

Professional Services Entrusted To:

Johnson Funeral Services & Cremations LLC

Compassion You Can Trust. Care You Can Feel.