Jean Benton Smoak Sneed, age 84, entered into eternal rest Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at her residence in Ruffin, SC. Born February 17, 1940, she was the daughter of the late Sammie Benton and Reba Padgett Benton. Jean graduated from Walterboro High School in 1958. She had Associate Degrees in Office Management and Legal Assisting and a Bachelor of Liberal Arts Degree. Her professional career included employment at Southern Bell as a telephone operator, a teletypist at Sears and a paralegal for two law firms. Jean and her late husband, Harvey, were co-owners of an amusement center with a super slide and batting cages in North Charleston. She was a lifelong faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served three missions for her church: a welfare mission in the Philippines, a family history mission in the Dominican Republic Temple and a data collections mission in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she learned to read six languages. She worked with her church social services, helping with adoptions and placing children in foster homes. Jean and her late husband, Harvey, personally fostered many children and adults. She loved doing genealogy research. She knitted many hats for neonatal babies for Charleston area hospitals. She was a great painter. She loved quilting, sewing, growing flowers, gardening, traveling, reading, children, animals, good food and good company. She was also a good storyteller. Surviving is her beloved fur baby, Perky and sister Yuvonne “Von” (Ron). In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her first husband, William Harvey Smoak, Jr., second husband, Garfield Sneed, brother Johnny Benton. We would like to thank the local EMS, Amedisys Home Health Team and Amedisys Hospice Team for the care and love given to Jean. Funeral services were held at 12 o’clock Monday afternoon, September 23, 2024, from the Walterboro Branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1035 Dandridge Road, Walterboro. Interment followed at Smoak Cemetery, Ruffin. Arrangements by: The Brice W. Herndon And Sons Funeral Homes And Crematory, Walterboro Chapel, 1193 Bells Highway, Walterboro, 843.538.5408. Visit the registry online at: www.briceherndonfuneralhome.com.
