City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Theresa L. Smith
Sanford, North Carolina
Age 65.
Died 10/01/2023.
Theresa was born in Decatur, Illinois on December 11, 1957 to Bonnie Jean and Walter Lemar Spalding. She was the oldest of their four children.
Theresa was raised in Decatur, Illinois. After graduating from Douglas MacArthur High in Decatur in 1976, she attended Olivet Nazarene University in Kankakee, Illinois and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology in 1980.
Theresa met her husband, Ken in 1983. They were married in St. Petersburg, Florida on May 10, 1986. They had two children, a son, Aaron and a daughter, Ariane. Theresa worked in the counseling field for many years and obtained a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Nova University (Florida) in 1990. Following the birth of Aaron in 1990, Theresa became a homemaker and home school parent for her children for the next 23 years. The family lived in St. Petersburg until 2001, when they moved to Sanford.
Theresa volunteered for the Christians United Outreach and Highway to Healing in Sanford. She re-entered the workforce before retiring in 2018.
Theresa possessed a servant’s heart for others. She always looked for opportunities to get to know and to serve others. Her kind spirit was fueled by her strong Christian faith, as her love of God was the most important characteristic of her life.
Theresa is survived by her husband, Ken of Sanford; her children, Aaron (Shpresa) and Ariane; a granddaughter, Liana Smith; her three siblings, Walter of Columbus, Mississippi, Roger (Cheryl) of Springfield, Missouri and Karen (Eric) of Decatur, Illinois; a niece, Heather Burkett of Decatur, Illinois; two nephews, Matthew Spalding of Springfield, Missouri and Alex (Agnes) of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania and two uncles, Kenny McKinney of Springfield, Missouri and Harold (Sandy) of Lexington, North Carolina. She was predeceased by her father, Walter Spalding, her mother, Bonnie Jordan and her step-father, James Jordan.
A celebration of life service for Theresa will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, October 13th at Hunt Springs Baptist Church, 1557 Saint Andrews Church Rd. in Sanford, with the Rev. Dr. Wesley Thomas presiding. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent to Nazarene Compassionate Ministries by visiting: give.ncm.org/donate/227 .
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$5866.98
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.