Born during one of the longest droughts in North Carolina history, Permelia Smith came blazing her way into the world on Sunday, September 13, 1925. Born to parents James and Lula (Talbert) Smith, in Hamlet, NC, Permelia, affectionately known as Pam, was the youngest of 5 children.
Losing her parents at a young age, Pam was raised by her older siblings and steadily made her way up the East coast; from Washington, D.C. all the way to the Big Apple, where she met her first husband, Navy Chef, Carl James Moore and had her first born, Gail Lucretia.
After several years of marriage, the couple went their separate ways and Permelia remarried the love of her life, Clifton Wright, with whom she had her son David.
Pam lived her life unapologetically, with charisma, spirit, and strength. She spent her career caring for the Pfhol children, who she loved as deeply as her own. She was a connoisseur of word search puzzles, never seen without one, and a true cullinarian with her masterpiece being her infamous potato salad.
Her legacy lives on in her daughter Gail Jackson (Dwight), son David Wright (Cynthia), grand children Davin Wright, Laura Jackson (Kenneth), Dwight Jackson (Anna), and Sabrina Green and great-grandchildren Eric, Ke'Shae, Arabelle, Amari, Kylah, Ma'kara and Ma'kari.
Pam joins her loved ones, husband Clifton Wright, parents Lula and James Smith, sisters Eva Covington and Birdie Pegues, brothers Toy and Doremus "Boot" Smith, Niece Needa Jackson, and Granddaughter Kamia Wright.
A home going memorial service honoring the life of Permelia Wright will be held at her home church, Christ Episcopal, at 74 Park Avenue, Glen Ridge, NJ, on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at 1:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Christ Episcopal Church or to the National Association for Family Child Care in honor of her years of service as a caregiver (
www.nafcc.org).
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