Caroline Lebby Smith Hassell

Caroline Lebby Smith Hassell, widow of John F. Hassell, Jr., died Friday evening in Mt. Pleasant. She was born July 19, 1922 in Summerville, South Carolina, the daughter of Gadsden and Katharine Lebby Smith. After Katharine's untimely death when Caroline was only five, Gadsden, two years later, married Margaret Robertson, who became a second mother.

Caroline was a 1939 graduate of Summerville High School, where she played basketball and was a varsity cheerleader. She was Miss Summerville 1938. She went on to study at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, where she met Jack Hassell, a student at Georgia Tech and her future husband. She graduated in June 1943 with a degree in Spanish, then enlisted in the U. S. Navy (WAVES). After training at Smith College, she was commissioned an ensign and assigned to communication services as a coding officer in Miami, Florida. She and Jack, also a naval officer by that time, were married there on July 1, 1944. She completed her military service at the war's end with rank of lieutenant, junior grade.

She and Jack reunited in Charleston and also lived on James Island and Sullivan's Island. By 1955, they were settled at Tanglewood, near Mt. Pleasant. There, she raised her five children and lived an active social life until her final years. Caroline and Jack were enthusiastic travelers, and their sojourns included a 1981 trip around the world with their great friends, Gabbe and Ferd Gregorie. She was active in the Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church, Junior League of Charleston, the Ladies Benevolent Society and the National Society of Colonial Dames. She was a charter member of the Carolina Assembly and was president of the Association of the Blind for two years.

Caroline was predeceased by a brother, Gadsden Smith, Jr. She is survived by a brother, D. Van Noy Smith (Ann) of Rockville; a brother-in-law, Dr. T. Fleetwood Hassell (Jane) of Charleston; her children, John F. Hassell, III (Jane) of Charleston, Claiborne A. Hassell (Carole) of Mt. Pleasant, Mary H. Adams (James) of Wadmalaw Island, Caroline L. Hassell of Mt. Pleasant and Fleetwood S. Hassell (Elizabeth) of Charleston; eleven grandchildren, John, Tom, Sarah, Clai, Katharine, Fleetwood and Louis Hassell, Emily Hassell Mumford and Jim, Jack and Mary Louise Adams; and six great-grandchildren, Anna, Lauren, Ellen, Catherine, Charley and Sam.

The family is especially grateful for the care and friendship of Kia and Virginia, the staff of Somerby Assisted Living of Mt. Pleasant and Loving Caregiver Services.

Family and friends are invited to a memorial service at the Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church Tuesday, July 10, 2012, at 3:00 p.m. Burial will be private. In addition to flowers, which Caroline adored, memorials may be sent to the Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church, 302 Hibben Street, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 or Odyssey Hospice, 5965 Core Avenue, Suite 603, North Charleston, SC 29406.

Arrangements by J. HENRY STUHR, INC., MOUNT PLEASANT CHAPEL.