Joan H Smith

COLUMBIA A funeral service for Joan Harper Smith, 91, will be held at 12:00 noon Wednesday, December 31, 2025, at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, with burial in Greenlawn Memorial Park. The family will receive friends at the funeral home one hour prior to the service.

Mrs. Smith died Saturday, December 27, 2025. Born in Columbia, she was the daughter of the late James B. “Bee” and Sarah Poat Harper. As a child, she grew up singing and dancing on stage while her mother played piano. She graduated from Dreher High School where she was a member of Les Coquettes. She then attended the University of South Carolina where she was a member of Chi Omega sorority. Upon graduating early, she worked for Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company.

After raising her children, she became a sales representative with Avon Cosmetics, where she received numerous top sales awards in her district. She found great joy in caring for others, especially though her cooking. No one ever left her home without a plate of food or baked goods in hand. Her favorite pastimes included watching her game shows, Days of Our Lives, and the Atlanta Braves, even attending the 1995 World Series to cheer them on in person. Above all else, she loved spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Surviving are her children, son, Mark E. Smith; daughters, Marjan S. Lucas (Dennis Tyndall) and Marisa S. Specter (Todd); sister, Beebie H. Volk and brother, Edward B. Harper; grandchildren, Cathryn Lucas, Haley Davis (Will), Sarah Powell (Christian), and Tradd Specter (Lilli); and great-grandchildren, Harper, Ellis, and Rush Davis and Isla and Brody Powell. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband, Edwin M. Smith, Jr.

Memorials may be made to the charity of your choice.

Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com.