Obituary of Elizabeth Smith

Graveside funeral services for Mrs. Elizabeth Carpenter Smith are scheduled for 3:00 PM, Sunday, May 6, 2018, at the Bartholomew Cemetery, on the Old Bonita Rd., with Bro. Andy Myrick officiating. Mrs. Smith passed away Monday, April 30, 2018, at her residence in Mer Rouge, at the age of eighty-two.

Our mother lived her childhood with her parents, John Frederick Carpenter, Jr. And Elizabeth Brodnax Carpenter Cook, on their farm off her beloved Bayou Bartholomew. After graduating from Bastrop High School, she attended Louisiana State University and Louisiana Tech, where she was a member of the Kappa Delta sorority, earning a degree in English and Secondary Education. “Miss Betty” was also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the United Methodist Church in Mer Rouge. Our mother, along with her good friend Alma Honeycutt, was a key member of the Save Morehouse Parish Courthouse Project.

In 1955, she married our father, Bobby Gerald Smith, and they were married for fifty-three years. They transferred around the country with International Paper and during that time she raised their three children, Elisabeth, John, and Robert, and worked as a substitute teacher. We were all fortunate and blessed to have them as nurturing parents and role models throughout our lives. Our mother’s defining qualities were her kindness and generosity. After retirement, our parents returned to Morehouse Parish to live in Mer Rouge.

Our mother is preceded in death by her husband, Bobby Gerald Smith; parents, John Fredrick Carpenter Smith, Jr. And Elizabeth Brodnax Carpenter Cook.

Survivors include her daughter, Elisabeth Stack and husband Timothy, of Mer Rouge; sons, John Frederick Carpenter Smith and wife Lauren, of Calhoun, LA and Robert Cheshier Smith and wife Michelle, of Questa, NM; and grandchildren, Carol Elizabeth Stack, Joel Patrick Stack, Margaret Anna McCorriston Stack, John Garrett Rice Smith, and Oscar Ives Smith; brother-in-law, Jimmy Smith and wife Louise, of Bastrop.

The family wishes to extend their heart-felt thanks to our mother’s classmate, friend, and doctor, Dr. Carter Cox. Thank you for the skillful care of Dr. Mahmoud Khalil and the wonderful staff with Premier Hospice, Jordan Health Services, and Dan Woods Fitness Lodge.