Our Church Family

In Memoriam

Charlotte Mattison Smith, aka Beauty, aka Gamma Char, 94, passed away on Monday evening, May 1, 2023. She is now reunited with her beloved husband, Duane.

She was born May 30, 1928, in Richmondville, NY, and mostly grew up on Wallace Road in Nimmonsburg. She graduated from Binghamton North High School and married her best friend, Duane, and joined him for 70 years of love, family, and adventures. She was a homemaker in the fullest sense of the word, creating and maintaining a loving home for her husband and children. She worked hard and played hard. She loved to cook and bake; she painted, mowed, gardened, built stone walls, and cut down trees; she hiked and skied and traveled across the country with her husband in search of new places and new stories to tell; she was the master of many crafts and usually had at least 50 projects going at the same time; she made hundreds of rag rugs to share with family and friends; she built and decorated doll houses and collected anything and everything. She was a long-time member of First Presbyterian Church, now known as United Presbyterian Church, on Chenango Street in Binghamton, where she served for many years as usher, Deacon, and head cook for church events.

She will be remembered for her sugar cookies, and her Grand Junction Spanish Rice.

She will be remembered for her ability to transform roadside finds into useful and (sometimes) beautiful objects.

She will be remembered for her oft-spoken aphorisms: “Things will work out the way they were meant to,” “Every part strengthens a part,” and, “If you act as good as you look, you’ll be okay.”

She will be remembered.

She is survived by her daughter Amy Smith of Binghamton; daughter and son-in-law, Jenny and Joe Fanelli of Syracuse, NY; grandson, David Fanelli, his wife Grace Hammond and their daughters Rosemary Ann and Mae Jeannette Fanelli of Columbus, OH; grandson Peter Fanelli, and his wife Danielle Myers of Somerville, MA; grandson Joey Fanelli and Heather Rinder of Revere, MA; daughter-in-law Patricia Smith of St. Marys, PA; granddaughter Margaret Watson and her husband John of Kempner, TX; grandson James “Mac” Smith and his wife Ann of St. Marys; sister-in-law Alice Mattison; nephew Carl Mattison, and niece and nephews Beth, Matthew, and Mark Greenley. She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 70 years Duane, her son Daniel Smith, and her grandson Andrew Smith.

The family would especially like to thank all the staff at Elizabeth Church Manor for their love and support throughout the years and during this time.

At Charlotte’s request, there was no memorial service. Good memories will be her memorial. Cremation services were provided by Hopler & Eschbach Funeral Home.