Katie Bell Smith

Katie was born in Bullock County, Alabama, on February 22, 1933. She is preceded in death by her loving husband of almost 61 years, Johnnie Melvin Smith. She is survived by her brother Frankin (Margaret) Deese and sister Rebecca Hall. She is preceded in death by her parents William L. Deese and Annie L. Deese Money, and her siblings Mary Lou Durden, Sarah Parker, James Deese, John Lewis Deese, and Annie Ruth Dees. She was a caring mother to Michael (Terry) Smith, Kathy Smith, Virginia Lynn (Scott) Gregory, and Stacy Smith, and proud grandmother of Tanner Smith, Cameron Gregory, and Kathryn Gregory (Sam Cashen).

A high school and lifelong cheerleader, she graduated from Montgomery County High School in Ramer. Immediately after high school, she moved to Montgomery, rented a room with a family, and for three years, from 1952-1955, she worked days, nights, and weekends. Days she worked downtown at Union Bank & Trust, weekends she modeled at department stores to earn for work clothes, and nights she was a student at the American Banking Institute to be the first female in Montgomery County to earn a banking certificate. She was very proud of that.

She then took freshman classes at Huntington College, then decided to pursue a law degree at Jones Law night school, where for one academic year she studied banking, loans and financial statements. She was one of three women and 15 men in her law school class.

At that time, she not only managed within her salary but, as the second oldest of eight children, any extra Katie earned she would give to her brothers or to her Mom who had six children at home plus a Dad in bad health who died of bone cancer by 1958.

In 1954, she met her husband, married in 1955, and solely devoted herself to family and community for decades. An excellent and competitive bridge, Rook, and dominoes player, she enjoyed reading the Montgomery Advertiser newspaper, lifestyle magazines and mystery books, traveling with her family, welcoming every baby she could into the world, and helping care for many of them.

This lifelong cheerleader, Katie Bell believed strongly in education and in encouraging all in achieving the highest level of education to which they were called.

She enjoyed and returned to professional work to include in the 1980s, as front desk manager of the Governor’s House Hotel where she was proud to accommodate guests to include dignitaries and celebrities. In the 1990s – 2019, she delighted to work in the office with her sister at Ann’s Professional Maid Service and was also bookkeeper for Dixie Sealing & Industrial.

She enjoyed cooking and a meat-and-three lunch. Morning coffee was ritual. There was usually a Snickers or peanut M&Ms in her purse, which she would gladly share. She was very good at making anything look better. She loved to keep a mani/pedi and her hair ‘done.’ She was a member of Whitfield UMC.

Every time a family member visited, she looked them straight in the eye and said “I love you very much.” It was very important for you to know you were loved by her, always. And, it was always, “Bye - for now.”

Visitation at Leak Memory Chapel in Montgomery will be held at 10:00 a.m. with funeral services at 11:00 on Saturday, March 22. Interment will follow at Hills Chapel Cemetery in Grady.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to Hills Chapel Cemetery Fund, 10989 Mount Zion Road, Ramer, AL 36069, or the charity of your choice.