Vera Geneva Smith

Vera G. Smith, age 96, of Columbia, MO, passed away on Saturday, May 23, 2015 in Columbia. She was born on November 19, 1918 in Boone County, MO, the one of 12 children born to Maggie Lee (Lewis) and Alvy Bennett. Vera married Jim Carl Smith on April 19, 1938 in Boone County; he preceded her in death in 1989 after 51 years of marriage.

Vera only worked outside of her home before her marriage to Jim. She worked for the telephone company whose policy at the time was only single ladies may work for them. She kept her marriage quiet for several months before one day while ironing in her room her landlady at the time discovered her beau/husband in the hallway outside her room in the boarding house. She reported her to the phone company and she was promptly fired. So as they used to say, “the jig was up.”

Vera’s whole life was children. She took care of children in her home when she lived on Sexton Road and later had a licensed daycare center in her Kathy Drive home. She also ran or participated in the nursery at her Parkade Baptist Church. She often had these children bring their children into her home to meet her. She loved each of those kids and their mommies just as much. As the oldest of 10 siblings who lived on a farm in Easley/Ashland area, she was the “home” for them in the summer as they came to Columbia to work.

Survivors include her daughters, Patricia Ann Mott and Betty Sue Brown; sons, Gerald “Jerry” Lee (Nancy) Smith and Carl “Benny” Smith (Ann Beasley); grandchildren, Lisa (Bill) Schnipke, Michael (Laura) Brown, Melinda Smith (Mel Chrestman), James Melvin (Lisa) Brown, Jennifer Smith, Matthew Smith, Amber (Scotty) Roberts, Benjamin Smith and Ian Smith; great grandchildren, Bryan and Evan Brown, Carl James “CJ” and Christopher Brown, Kate Chrestman, Madelyn and Dalton Roberts; siblings, Medabeth (Bennett) Garrett, Marvin (Norma Dean) Bennett, Mitchell Bennett, Mary Lee (Bennett) Wren, Beverly (Bennett) (Melvin) Sapp and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her siblings, Howard Bennett, Alvy Eugene (Gene) Bennett, Joyce (Bennett) Isom, Eddie Milton Bennett and two died in infancy.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 am, Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at Parkade Baptist Church. Visitation will be held from 10:00-11:00 at the church. Burial will be held in Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Parkade Baptist Church Building Fund. The family would like to thank the staff of Hospice Compassus for all of their generosity and support to Vera over the last several months.