.Oklahoma City resident, Carroll Beth Smith, 84, passed away Thursday, January 16, 2020. Carroll was born December 7, 1935 in Yale, Oklahoma to Richard and Virgie (Hatcher) Matheny. She grew up on a farm in Yale with her brother and sister, Francis and Duane. She married Peter A. Smith and together they raised their daughter, Shaylyn. In 1966, Carroll went back to school and graduated in 1971 from UCO with her BA degree in Elementary Education. She taught for 16 years, mainly at Eugene Field Elementary School as a 2nd grade teacher. During summer break, she began working as a unit secretary at Bethany Hospital. She eventually quit teaching and became the unit secretary for the neural ward at St. Anthony’s Hospital, from which she retired. Carroll was very involved in her daughter’s activities, from being a girl-scout leader to a band parent, and everything in between. She and her daughter where in the civil air patrol. Carroll was a qualified flight observer with the rank of Captain. She flew many SAR(Search Air Rescues) and was credited for locating a downed aircraft in Le Flore County. She was a member of Optimist International and served as the Governor of Oklahoma from 2001-2002. One of her many accomplishments was being a recipient of the Taggert Award. She was also a member of the Rebekah’s, and served as Noble Grand. She was the president of her neighborhood homeowner’s association. She was also responsible for getting historical lighting and centennial benches for the median. Carroll was a woman of many talents and interests. She was a handy woman who was capable of fixing anything, including putting in a driveway. She was a bibliomaniac and seamstress, having sewn many of her daughter’s scrubs. She was a kind and loving wife, mother, sister, and friend who will be greatly missed by all who knew her. She was preceded in death by her parents and husband, Peter (October 3, 1975). She is survived by her daughter, Shaylyn Smith; sister, Francis Burrows; and brother, Duane Matheny and wife Colleen.
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