Mary Cleaves Daniels Smith

RALEIGH - Mary Cleaves Daniels Smith, 64, of Raleigh passed away in the evening hours of Friday, July 18, 2025, at Transitions LifeCare Hospice Home.

She was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 10, 1961, the daughter of the late Emory Parker Smith and the late Mary Cleaves Stenhouse Smith. Upon her parents returning to North Carolina, Cleaves would go on to graduate from Goldsboro High School. She would go on to attend Saint Mary's College in Raleigh, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Katharine Gibbs School of Boston, ultimately obtaining her bachelor's degree.

Cleaves worked with the American Bankers Association in Washington D.C. before returning to her roots in Raleigh. She then began her 34 year career with the North Carolina Employment Securities Commission, her most recent title being Chief Tax Accountant.

Cleaves was truly a unique individual with excellent taste and enjoyed many pastimes and hobbies such as cooking, traveling, shopping, flowers, and all things that were bright and beautiful! A beloved sister, aunt, and friend, Cleaves will be missed by all who had the privilege to know her in the days ahead.

In addition to her parents, Cleaves was preceded in death by the love of her life, David Lee Stowe.

She leaves behind to cherish her memory her sister, Catherine Smith Perkins and husband, Benjamin Lee Perkins of Beaufort, NC; nephew, Benjamin Lee Perkins, Jr. of Cleveland, OH; niece, Caroline Perkins Schultz and husband, Erik John Schultz of Palmetto, FL; nephew, Parker Stenhouse Perkins and wife, Sellika Jade Bustamante of Jacksonville, FL; great nieces, Emory Gray Schultz and Merritt Seabrook Schultz of Palmetto, FL, Carondelet Reese Perkins of Jacksonville, FL; and her great nephew, Triton Lee Perkins of Jacksonville, FL.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Saint George's Anglican Church, 1210 Dixie Trail, Raleigh, NC 27607, with a reception immediately following in the parish hall.

As a tribute to Cleaves' beautiful life, flowers of all colors are welcome and may be sent to Bryan-Lee Funeral Home of Raleigh: 831 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh, NC 27604.

A service of Bryan-Lee Funeral Home, Raleigh. Online condolences may be made at www.bryan-leefuneralhome.com