When Frank Smither moved to Pinehurst in the early 2000s to live with his sister Susan and her family, The Arc of Moore County and its affiliated service organizations provided him with something he never knew he wanted; a social life.
Frank lived with a developmental disability and spent the most of his life caring for his parents in Suffolk, VA, leaving little time for much of a life of his own. After the death of his mother in 2001 — and with the debilitating effects of his Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy worsening — he joined the Holmes family in North Carolina and found a network of wonderful and caring friends and family through The Arc.
Frank wanted to be where the fun was. In fact there wasn’t much of anything that would get by him. He kept a close watch of his sister’s calendar and would have his clothes picked out a week in advance for his next get together. His quiet but determined personality was the perfect fit to make him the president of the Aktion Club. In fact, the club revised its policy to extend it’s presidency to two terms because Frank was doing such a great job. He also volunteered with First In Families Management Team, American Red Cross, FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital, and the BackPack Pals program.
But this was only a part of responsibilities. He still cared for his father, Dr. Morrison Smither, who also moved to Pinehurst with his daughter’s family and passed away in 2012. He took care of all of his father’s personal care needs, including feeding, giving medications, positioning while always wanting to make him comfortable. Frank never complained and or asked for anything for himself. He always had a smile and nice thing to say to everyone every day. No matter how he was feeling, he woke up every day with his routine beginning with caring for his father. Frank was named a finalist for the 2012 Moore County Caregiver award.
Frank was the poster-child for unselfishness. He never volunteered, but because of his situation, it evolved. He took on that burden with constant patience, simply saying “I just did what needed to be done.”
His nieces and nephews learned invaluable lessons of tolerance, acceptance, determinism and patience thanks to growing up with their uncle who they loved very much. Frank passed away in 2013, leaving behind countless memories of his infectious smile and laughter and his persistence to make the best of everyday.
His nephew Scott was in high school when Frank came to North Carolina and later went onto become the first assistant golf professional at Spring Island in South Carolina. In a effort to raise funds for The Arc of Moore County, specifically for the social activities and events that Frank enjoyed so much, Scott is taking on a golf marathon at Pinehurst #4 on August 18th in which he will attempt to play as many holes of golf in 12 hours.
Please help us honor Frank’s memory by helping other members of The Arc family find the opportunities that Frank found. Pledges can be made by the hole or as a flat donation.