Patricia "Anne" Sweatmon McCurdy

Mrs. Patricia “Anne” Sweatmon McCurdy, age 90, passed away on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at the home of her daughter, surrounded by her children—as we promised her.

Anne was born on January 25, 1936, in Atlanta, Georgia, during a historic snowfall. She loved that story and loved snow all her life, finding joy in its beauty and the quiet way it softened the world. It felt fitting—she came into the world during something memorable and left it having made her own lasting impression.

She was the daughter of the late Theodore David Sweatmon and Ethel Birdette Holt Sweatmon. Anne grew up in Georgia and graduated from Decatur High School in 1954. Intelligent, organized, and quick-witted, she began her working life as a stenographer at Woolworth’s. In the mid-1950s, she took a trip to Daytona Beach—the first of many adventures that reflected her love of the ocean, travel, and curiosity about the world.

In October 1956, Anne married Charles Wardlaw McCurdy Jr. at First Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia. Together they raised their family while living in Cobb County, Georgia, later moving to Orlando, Florida, and returning to Decatur before finally settling in North Carolina in June of 1977.

Anne devoted much of her career to healthcare, serving as a medical unit secretary at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta in the 70’s, and later at Davie Medical Center as well as a CAP receptionist. She was known for her intelligence, calm presence, and dependability—someone others trusted in busy, high-pressure environments. She retired in 1998, having given years of dedicated service.

Family responsibility was something Anne took seriously. In the late 1970s, her father-in-law, Charles McCurdy Sr., moved in with her, followed by her mother, Ethel, in October of 1985. She cared for them both with devotion and strength until their deaths in 1988. Earlier, she had helped care for and endured the loss of her sister, Jannette Sweatmon Thomas, in June of 1974—grief she carried quietly and bravely.

Anne was a lifelong fighter. She faced corneal dystrophy that required bilateral corneal transplants in 1990, followed by breast cancer twice, colon cancer surgery, a hip replacement, a compression fracture from a fall, and major vascular surgery in 2024. More than once, she “cheated death,” and she knew it. Through it all, she remained fiercely independent, remarkably intelligent, and very much herself.

In April of 1987, Anne became a dedicated Friend of Bill W., a commitment she honored for the rest of her life. Known for her faith in a loving God, her honesty, humility, mischievous sense of humor, and resilience, she lived her recovery openly and by example. Her commitment to spiritual recovery touched the lives of countless people—within her family and far beyond—offering hope, encouragement, and proof that change was possible at any stage of life. In 1992, she also became the first female member of the Lions Club in Davie County, breaking ground without ever seeking recognition. She later volunteered at Forsyth Medical Center’s flower room, bringing small moments of comfort to others.

Anne also knew how to enjoy life. She traveled to Rome in the mid-1980s, visited New York City, and later explored the Grand Canyon and California—including Santa Monica, San Bernardino, and a memorable Rastafari bus tour through Los Angeles. She had a great sense of humor, a mischievous streak, and a natural charm. She flirted with everyone, made people laugh, and seemed to delight in the fact that people found her cute—even as she stayed sharp, observant, and independent to the core.

In her later years, Anne lived with her daughters, most recently moving in with Carol after a fall in 2024. Hospice care began in October 2025, and she remained surrounded by family, familiarity, and love until her passing.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Jeannette Sweatmon Thomas; her husband, Charles Wardlaw McCurdy Jr.; and her daughter, Susan Elaine McCurdy.

She is survived by her daughters, Carol Ann Lyons (Barry), Terry Lynn Foster, and Lisa Marie Nance; her son, Steven Daniel McCurdy; nine grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; her nieces, Linda Thomas Koutras, Kathryn Thomas Hoiriis, and Barbara Thomas Davidson; and her cousin, Shirley Sweatmon Brown, all of Georgia.

Anne will be remembered for her strength, her independence, her sharp mind, her mischievous humor, and her unwavering devotion to family. She lived fully, loved deeply, and faced life head-on—on her own terms.

And for those who knew her best, she will always be remembered as the woman who loved snow, laughed easily, flirted shamelessly, and somehow managed to cheat death more than once.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 22, 2026, at Hayworth-Miller Kinderton Chapel, officiated by Chaplain Michael Griffith. The family will receive friends following the service at the funeral home.

Flowers or donations to the Corneal Dystrophy Foundation are equally welcome. https://www.cornealdystrophyfoundation.org/