Debra Lynn Ward Smith

Debra Lynn Ward Smith, 64, of McDonald, TN, passed away peacefully Saturday, September 14, 2013 at her residence of over 39 years. A native of McDonald, TN, she was the daughter of the late James Hobart Ward and Sylvia Frances Bridges Ward. She attended the Pine Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church and was a member of the Navy Seabees Veterans of America Ladies Auxiliary. She loved Crocheting, reading and collecting cook books, and taking care of others and always loved her family and friends. Survivors include her husband, David Brian Smith; three sons, Travis C. Smith, Knoxville, TN, Chris D. Smith and Andy B. Smith both of McDonald, TN and several cousins. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Valley View Chapel with the Rev. Russell Maroon officiating. Interment will be in the Chattanooga National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family request memorial contributions be made to the Pine Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church, c/o Glenn Miller, 974 Old Alabama Road, S.W., McDonald, TN 37353. The family will receive friends from 4-8 p.m. Tuesday at the Valley View Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory & Florist, 7414 Old Lee Highway.

TRIBUTE AND CELEBRATION TO WIFE

The family of Debra Lynn Ward Smith would like to thank everyone for their support during this difficult time and truly appreciate those that have phoned, sent cards, visited our home, attended visitation at the funeral home, and the chapel service to pay respects to Debbie who was a great lady who cared for everyone that crossed her path. She met no stranger and was everyone’s friend.

Debbie has been my special friend, wife, and partner in crime, so to speak, during our marriage for over 40 plus years. Debbie has also been a special mother to our three boys: Travis, Chris, and Andy. All four of us will miss her dearly but realize she is no longer in pain and is now at peace in heaven with her Lord and Savior.

At this time I would like to share a few items about Debbie’s life history that many of you may or may not know.

Debbie was born and raised in a rural area called McDonald, TN in South Bradley County and was the child to James Horbart Ward and Sylvia Frances Bridges Ward. Debbie grew up as a Country Girl and to hear her tell the story that her parents could only afford a small home with an outhouse in her early elementary school years. Debbie was in junior high school when her parents were finally able to add a full bath room onto their home. She used to tell me that it was like going to heaven when she could take a bath in a real bath tub and not a wash tub bath. Debbie also indicated that it was nice to have access to other bath room conveyances too.

Debbie attended McDonald Elementary School, Bradley Junior High, and Bradley High School graduating in 1967 where she went to work at 18 to learn how to be a legal secretary in the vicinity of the Bradley County Court House in Cleveland, TN. During the Junior High and High School years Debbie somehow managed to take music lessons and learned to play the piano.

Debbie’s parents loved to go fishing and camping and so to hear Debbie tell it she had her fill of that type life and never wanted to go fishing or camping outdoors on the ground again after tuning 18. Therefore, after we married my camping days slowed down, except for the military service, and I later had to sell my 17 foot canoe since Debbie set her foot down about going rafting and canoeing in the Hiwassee and Ocoee Rivers. However, Debbie did make an exception about the camping when Travis joined the Scouting program.

For entertainment, her parents also loved to listen to gospel music and attend gospel singing events. Her love for gospel music grew and in her early 20’s she joined several gospel groups where she played the piano and even played piano for several churches in her home area. Throughout Debbie’s life she always tuned in the radio or a CD of gospel music while driving the car where I enjoyed country or blue grass when I got in the car.

Now let me share how I met Debbie back in 1971. Shortly after I was released from my Active Naval Duty in Nov. 1970 at age 23 I rejoined TVA in the Transmission Line Civil Engineering Branch. At that time, one of the three secretaries that worked in the front branch office decided I was a nice young man that needed to start dating. She tried to get me to date one of the other secretaries in the office but that did not fly since it would have been mixing oil and water. During that time, I was active with the Red Bank Baptist Church Singles Class and Youth Program Activities. The secretary who was trying to arrange the dating and the other secretary that did not work out were members of the Farleigh Street Baptist Church in East Chattanooga. The secretary that did not want to date me had a best friend and so it was arranged that I attend their church for a night music program event. That was when I met Debbie and took her out to Shoney’s after church for some coffee and Strawberry Pie to get to know one another to see if we wanted to date one another. A week or so passed between some phone calls before we started dating. Before I proposed, we had a discussion about my service to Uncle Sam for continuation in the Reserve Naval Construction Force. Amazingly, Debbie agreed to support my future career all the way to my retirement at age 60.

At the time I met Debbie, she was working for a lawyer named Robert Scott who I later learned was the son of Allen G. Scott. Allen G. was the man that originally hired me to work at TVA in a survey crew when I was 18 years old.

Another item of interest came up after we had been dating for two months. Both our dads worked at Ernest Homes Wrecker Manufacturing Company as department foreman and their areas were within 100 feet of each other. Somehow our dads, put two and two together, that son and daughter where dating one another but neither one wanted to acknowledge it with each other until both Debbie and I realized it after dating two months.

We were married on Dec. 17, 1972 at the Red Bank Baptist Church where over 300 attended. Our dads had not said much to their co-workers at Ernest Homes and I will leave it up to you all to guess their reactions when our dads showed up in Tuxedos as part of the wedding party.

On our first anniversary I crossed paths with Debbie when I sent a dozen roses to her law office. She called me to thank me but said we were going to have more discussions before bedtime that evening. To say the least I was kept in suspense until that evening when I was told that in the future I was never to purchase and send flowers to her again since it was a waste of our money and the money could be spent on family items such as building a home for our future children. Later I took a lot of heat from my fellow workers at TVA when I did not send her anything on Valentine’s Day or our anniversary. I had to tell them time and time again, you don’t understand, I have been down that path and Debbie said no way was I to give her anything. Later, when Mother’s Day came up I used the boys to deliver gifts.

Debbie’s hobby was Crocheting creating items such as hats, blankets, gloves, and other various items. Debbie loved to cook and collected many cook books over our married years and used to drive me crazy sitting up in bed reading a new cook book at night. Debbie also read many other books for pleasure. In later years, she spent many hours on the phone with her friends across the country since she was very active in the Navy Seabee Veterans of America Island X-24 Ladies Auxiliary. Debbie was my partner in being in charge of arranging approximately 10 annual reunions for the veterans group. Debbie loved to meet and great people and always excelled in taking care of others.

At times in our marriage, I had to make Debbie spend money on herself because she would do without when the boys needed items. She was very thrifty with stretching the dollar, especially shopping.

Debbie would balance our main check book and if I asked say within an hour how much money was in the account she could not tell me even close to the amount without going and looking it up. Remembering numbers was not her thing and I could get in trouble real quick if I pressed this issue. However, when it came to legal, home schooling, medical, finance investments, and tax issues she became an expert through self-education.

At one time in our married life we came across a saying that: marriage is like a garden where you have to weed and water it to make it grow. We adopted that thought and used the concept to make our marriage grow each year. We had an agreement with one another that we would never go to bed in the evening mad at one another and agreed to clear the air through give and take to solve a problem. Believe me when I say, we both did some real weeding and watering at times.

In closing, I would like to use an old Navy term by saying to Debbie:

Sweetheart, Fair Winds and Following Seas

Let me explain to some of you what this statement means.

“Fair Wind and following seas” is often extended to a ship or person about to embark upon “its voyage in life,” marking the beginning (and not the end) of a journey.

Also, “Fair Winds” means to a seaman to square the yards and make a fair wind of it to homeward.

Then “Following Seas” literally means to sail with the tide on the way out of port.

Therefore, to wish that blessing “fair winds and following seas, basically is to say to Debbie:

“HAVE A SAFE JOURNEY TO HEAVEN AS YOU PROCEDE OUT OF THE HARBOR ON EARTH, INTO THE BEGINNING OF YOUR VOYAGE IN THE NEXT LIFE WITH YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR.”

God bless and keep you safe forever until we meet again your loving husband David Smith.

TRIBUTE AND CELEBRATION TO MOM

Over these past few weeks, I have been fortunate enough to have seen Mom on a weekly basis. I particularly feel blessed to have been able to spend almost every waking hour of the last week with Mom prior to her passing. I truly feel this helped me say goodbye to one of the best Mom’s a son could ever have.

I also, told Mom several times over the past week that I would make sure Dad, Chris, and Andy were taken care of. I made sure she knew I would do everything within my power to make sure that Dad, Chris, and Andy would be alright and taken care of.

I would like to share an event that occurred early last Wednesday morning while sitting at the Hospital with Mom. During one of her more coherent moments, we were discussing some of her final wishes for this service in the event of her passing. She was able to tell me the cloths she wanted to wear, a few of the hymns she would like to be sung and that she wanted Pastor Maroon to officiate. While discussing these items with her a very comforting thought came in to my mind that I proceeded to share with her. That thought was “God, Nanny, and Pappaw are waiting at heaven’s gates to receive her (Mom) with open arms and that they will all be watching over us until our time has come and we meet once again for a joyous reunion in heaven.” She was able to tell me that she knew this was a true statement.

A short while later by what I believe to be divine intervention while browsing the Internet I stumbled across a poem titled “She Is Gone” by Davis Harkins that sum’s up how Mom would wish for us to carry on without her. I shared this poem with her and she just kind of smiled and said “I like that very much”. At this time, I would like to share the poem with this group.

She Is Gone

You can shed tears that she is gone

or you can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back

or you can open your eyes and see all she has left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see her

or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday

or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her and only that she's gone

or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind,

be empty and turn your back

or you can do what she would want:

smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

In closing I would like to say,

Goodbye Moma, until we are together again. Your memory will always be held close to my heart and never forgotten. I love you so very much. Your Loving Son, Travis C. Smith