Loretta Stroud Houston

Beloved Mother, Nana, and Friend

Our mom, Loretta Stroud Houston, passed peacefully on June 4th at the age of 74. She was the steady heart of our family — the one who showed up with love, good food, and quiet strength no matter what life threw at us.

Born in Kinston, North Carolina on April 26, 1952, Mom grew up in Beulaville, NC with a deep-rooted faith and a servant’s heart that never left her. She worked hard her whole life – first in administrative roles, then as a business owner, before finding her true calling as a nurse caring for others, but always as a devoted wife, mother, and homemaker. Her home was the kind of place where people felt welcome. You’d often walk into the smell of something simmering on the stove, hear easy conversation, and leave feeling a little lighter because Mom had a way of making things better.

She taught by how she lived — with resilience, firmness, and an unshakable love for her family. Through every hard season, every joy, and every ordinary day in between, Mom was there for us. She loved her grandchildren, worried over them, but took pride in watching them grow. She poured herself into every role she held, but being “Momma” and “Nana” were always closest to her heart.

She is survived by her children and sisters:

• Son Todd C. Brinkley (wife Becky, grandson Austin and great-granddaughter Caroline, grandson Cameron, granddaughter Haley, grandson Quanterious, and his wife Bailey)

• Daughter Misty Brinkley Smith (husband Billy Smith, granddaughter Brianna, granddaughter Cali, grandson Caleb, granddaughter Kiersten, grandson Teagan, and grandson Brennan)

• Daughter Lauren Houston Tacchi (husband David Tacchi, granddaughter Ansley, grandson Conner, grandson Easton, and grandson Parker)

• Son Jonathan Houston (wife Samantha, grandson Griffin)

She is also survived by her sisters, Gwen Stroud Mercer (Craig) of Beulaville (NC) and Barbara Stroud Boney of Rose Hill (NC).

Mom was preceded in death by her husband of 41 years, Tom Houston, her mother Bernice Griffin Stroud Gresham, her father Henry Clayton Stroud, and her stepfather Arnold Dean Gresham.

A celebration of Loretta’s life will be held at Millbrook Baptist Church on June 13th, with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. and the service at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations to Brightfocus.org(Alzheimer’s research) or PanCan.org (Pancreatic cancer) are made in her honor, so her legacy of caring for others can continue.

Mom’s gone home now, safe in the arms of her Savior. We will miss her voice, her hugs, her laughter, but we carry her with us. In the way we love each other, in the values she taught us, and in the faith that guided her, she was our lighthouse.

SHELLHOUSE - RIVERS FUNERAL HOME, 715 EAST PINE LOG RD., AIKEN, SC