Robbie Smith

By God’s loving grace, Robbie Olyene Smith, age 88, was taken to her heavenly home on Friday, August 10, 2012. She died from many health issues which created a frail body that housed a strong, joyful spirit and mind.

Mother was born December 28, 1923 in the town of Lillydale in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, the second youngest of seven children. She was very proud of her birthplace, and of the fact that she was a quarter Cherokee. Her maternal grandmother was a full blooded Cherokee Medicine Woman and Mid-Wife who traveled throughout the mountains healing people and delivering babies. Perhaps, it was from this grandmother, whom she loved so much, that she developed her generous nature for helping others in need. She also got her middle name from her grandmother’s heritage, a Native American word meaning "gully jumper". Mother jumped many gullies in her life, with joy as a child, and with faith and determination as an adult.

In Tennessee, her family raised tobacco. She always said that God made everything good, even tobacco, but it was man that ruined it. In her early childhood, her family moved to Granite, Oklahoma where they became cotton farmers. Yes, Mother really was a true "cotton pickin’ Okie"! When her beloved Daddy developed a brain tumor, she moved with her family to town, where she met the only true love of her life, Newton E. Smith, Jr. Dad was 14 and Mother was 12 when they met in the lobby of the small movie theater in Granite. Dad walked up to Mother and said, "Hi, I’m N.E. Smith and I’m going to marry you when you grow up"–and he did, five years later, and they had a happy marriage for over 51 years before Dad died of cancer in 1992.

In 1942, Mother’s daughter and "best friend", Nancy Coleen, was born and six weeks later she said goodbye to Dad who had enlisted in the Merchant Marines. It was three years later that Dad came home on the day before her beloved Father died of complications from brain surgery. Then, exactly, nine months later, her son, Larry Eugene, was born, the joy of her life, the living celebration of Dad’s safe homecoming. During Dad’s time in the service, Mother was a Doctor’s office nurse and hospital floor nurse in a small hospital in Mangum, Oklahoma. It was her job to write patient orders for 13 doctors who used that little hospital, and while meeting with them each morning, they encouraged her to start smoking, as all of them shared their cigarettes with her. Mom continued to smoke for 60 yearsa�"a habit that contributed to her breathing problems, but again through faith and determination she quit smoking about seven years before she ended her journey on earth.

After the war, Mother had many occupations. She ran a small beer bar that she and Dad owned in Granite; then, she drove a tractor alongside Dad as they planted and harvested crops for her father-in-law. In 1948, our small family moved to Compton, California where Mom worked at doing alterations and hanging clothes in a small dry cleaning business. Her experience there prepared her for later years when she and Dad completed their working life by operating their own dry cleaning business for over 20 years in Brea, California.

At one time, Mother was a "call" girla�"a telephone operator for Sears and Roebuck catalog sales. She was also a stock picker for Revlon Cosmetics where she had the distinction of being the only floor girl that had memorized all the stock numbers of Revlon’s large product line. While working for Revlon, she was loaned twice to B.F. Goodrich for special projects. The first time, she sewed blackout curtains for the many windows in their large plant. The second time, she built fuel cells for the B-52 bomber. She was called to B.F.Goodrich this time because they needed a very small woman who could be rolled on a dolly under the fuel cell to patch holes created in the molding process; and one who could be lowered into the cell to patch any holes inside. She had a commendation in the employee newspaper for having the fewest leaks when the fuel cells went through final testing.

After retiring, Mother and Dad lived in Pilot Hill, California, Falls City and Dallas in Oregon, and, finally she moved to St. George, Utah in 2000. She spent the last 20 years of her life living alone, although when asked if it was hard to live alone she always replied, "I don’t live alone; God lives with me in my house." And, He dida�"he lived in her house, in her heart and as a beacon of light that she was always ready and willing to share with others.

Dad always said Mother could do anything and we truly believed it. She was an accomplished seamstress, an ardent quilt maker, an avid fisher woman, a delicious cook of solid country foods, and a hard worker, always ready to tackle any task, even learning to drive an 18 Wheeler that Dad owned for a short while. Her greatest qualities were her quick wit and the ability to be a story teller extraordinaire, with an amazing memory for recalling every detail of her lifetime of adventures, and for remembering the names of everyone she had ever known. No one ever left her house without a full stomach, a belly full of laughs from her jokes and stories, and an uplifted spirit. Just like Mother, we will be repeating her stories until it is time for us to leave this earthly home.

It has been hard to sum up a beautiful life in a few sentences and paragraphs. But, Mother’s life can be summed up in one word, LOVEa�"love for her God, her family, all her friends and relatives, and even for complete strangers. Those of us left behind will miss that abundant love she so freely gave to everyone who crossed her path.

Mother was preceded in death by her husband, N.E, her and Dad’s parents, six siblings, a grandson and many beloved sisters and brothers-in-law. She is survived by her daughter, Nancy Poppitt (Gordon)of Central, Utah; her son, Larry Smith (Laura) of Topeka, Kansas; 6 grandchildren and their spouses, eleven great grandchildren, 5 sister’s in-law, numerous nieces and nephews; and, many chosen children of her heart.

A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held Saturday, September 1, 2012 at 11 o’clock in the morning at:

Beryl Baptist Church

182 N. 200 West

Beryl, Ut. 84714

(435) 439-5319

Services will be conducted by her Pastor and dear friend Reverend Arnold Studebaker. A celebratory lunch will follow with special friends singing some favorite songs.

Any one wishing to honor Mother’s memory can do so with a donation to Beryl Baptist Church, Southern Utah Home Care & Hospice (640 E. 700 South, Suite 101, St. George Utah, 84770; or, to your local Hospice Organization. Our hospice "angel" Joni Cutler, and our friend and devoted care-giver, Robin McLall will forever be in our heartsa�"thank you for loving our sweet Mother.