Ida Grizzelle "Ianne" Smyer

   Ida Grizzelle “Ianne” Smyer, born in Edenton, NC on July 17, 1942, passed away in Seattle, WA on February 19, 2025, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.   

   Ida spent her childhood partially in Edenton with her grandmother, Ida Mae Roberson and in Maryland with her mother, Grizzelle Garwood, stepfather, Bob Garwood and her siblings. 

   Surviving is her sister, Jo Wieters of Charleston, SC; two brothers, Bill Garwood of Hertford, NC and Jim Garwood of Goose Creek, SC; and her niece, Andrea Wieters of Bethesda, MD. Recently, she was preceded in death by a brother, Russ Garwood. 

   Ida graduated from John A. Holmes High School, Class of 1960. It was on to Women’s College of the University of North Carolina where she started as an art major but graduated in 1964 with a degree in Economics. After a brief job teaching ninth graders in Jacksonville, FL, she went to work with the US Department of Labor in Florida. A promotion brought her to New York City. Still with the government, she went to work in the New York Mayor’s office working for John Lindsey as a labor consultant. Next up was a position with the US Office of Education administering Upward Bound for New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. She started taking law classes at night and eventually went back to school full-time graduating with a JD degree from St. John’s University Law School in 1976. Fresh out of law school, she joined the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. She then took a year off from work and travelled the world. A pilot’s license, scuba diving and tennis were among her diversions as she lived on a houseboat in the middle of NYC. Her next career change had her working on Wall Street with a major law firm. A desire to travel the world drew her to the US State Department’s diplomatic corps as a legal adviser in the Foreign Service. Her job sent her all over the world on behalf of the USA working with various countries on treaties and economic partnerships. Kenya, Colombia, El Salvador, Thailand, Viet Nam, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Mongolia, Eritrea and Ethiopia were all stops on her journey. She could tell some interesting stories about the people and lifestyles of the people she met.

    She retired when she was still in her 50s and then got busy driving all over the USA. She moved from Washington, DC to Florida but said there were too many old folks there. Eventually she made her home in Seattle and finally settled down. She spent a lot of time doing genealogy research and published a book on her Smyer family. Several trips to NC including Edenton and Hertford were on the agenda researching the Roberson family tree. Volunteer work with the Red Cross brought her to Mississippi to assess damage after Hurricane Katrina. Back at school for her first love, she studied art at UCLA’s Art School, NY Studio School and the Gage Academy of Art in Seattle. Her paintings and sculptures have been on public display in Seattle. She provided free legal assistance to several groups such as the Anti-Defamation League and others as she had a strong opposition to discrimination and threats to democracy. 

   Barely 5 feet tall, she lived a life full of surprises and major accomplishments. She was a proud, small-town girl who made it big in life. A great Ida quote “Make the best of the moment. Time for do’overs runs out”.

   In accordance with her wishes, no local services will be held. She is now with her mother Grizzelle Roberson Garwood and her family in the Roberson section of Beaver Hill Cemetery. 

   Miller & Van Essendelft Funeral Home & Crematory, 735 Virginia Road, Edenton, is assisting the family with arrangements and online condolences may be made by visiting www.millerfhc.com.