Mrs. Annie Laura Wright Smeltzer Kinney, 96, of Columbia, passed away from this earthly life on October 14, 2024. Born to Essie Thomas and Lee Wright on December 29, 1927, Annie Laura (Ann) was the youngest of nine children, born and raised in the community of Craytonville in Anderson County, South Carolina.

A member of Rehoboth Methodist Church in Columbia, Ann will be remembered for her quiet strength and loving ways. She and her family enjoyed a very special and loving bond, anchored in stories, life lessons, laughter, friendships, and gratitude for their time together. A gifted writer, Ann leaves to her children and descendants her published memoir, "A Braided Cord."

Survivors include her five children; Laura Campbell, Susan Mullikin (Cam), Jan Smith (LW), Dot Rhyne, and Tommy Smeltzer; four grandchildren: Amy Smith (Eddie), Jessica Cabrera (David), Marshall Stockdell (Bevan) and Nathan Smeltzer; and five great-grandchildren: Liza Smith, Nicolas and Tyler Cabrera, John Marshall (Jack) Stockdell, and Adam Todd Stockdell. Ann was predeceased by her three husbands, Thomas William Smeltzer, Edward Aaron and John Foster (Jack) Kinney. Ann and John married in 2003 and enjoyed their golden years together until John passed in 2015.

A celebration of Ann's life will be held at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at Rehoboth Methodist Church, 6911 Two Notch Road, Columbia, SC. The family will receive friends following the service in the Christian Life Center fellowship building. A private burial will be held with the family at Rehoboth Methodist Church cemetery. Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Chapel, is assisting the family.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Rehoboth Methodist Church, 6911 Two Notch Road, Columbia, SC. The family would like to thank Ranada Cook and her team of excellent caregivers for their love and support, and Heart of Hospice during the final days of Ann's brief illness.