Theresa Anne Smith Boyd

Theresa Anne Smith Boyd, 74, passed from this earth to her home in Heaven on August 15, 2016, in Houston, Texas. Her two years of battling cancer have come to an end. Visitation with friends and family will be on August 18, 2016 from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at Earthman Hunters Creek Funeral Home, 8303 Katy Fwy, Houston, Texas. A Celebration of Life service will be on August 19, at 10:30 a.m. at the First Baptist Church of Houston, 7401 Katy Fwy., Houston, Texas, with reception to follow. A private graveside service will be held.

Theresa was born in Houston, Texas, on October 20, 1941, to Reynolds Luis and Anne Ray Smith. Theresa was the first of four siblings: Reynolds Francis Smith of Peoria, Arizona; Charles Ray Smith of Sealy, Texas; and David Luis Smith of Carrollton, Texas. Theresa was a graduate of Sam Houston High School and The University of Texas in Austin. She married Ben B. Boyd on November 9, 1974. With Ben, she felt blessed with his two sons, Brent and Blake, whom she dearly loved. A year later, Brenna was born. Two years later, Bethany was born. They and their families survive Theresa: Brent Michael Boyd, his wife Shauna, and children Baiyli, Blaike, Braydon and Brauch of Fort Worth, Texas; Blake Randall Boyd, his wife Ruth, and children Elias and Avery of Spring, Texas; Brenna Boyd Beaver, her husband James, and children Austin and Jonathan of Houston, Texas; Bethany Boyd Factor, her husband Canaan, and children Canaan, Sloane, Major, and Baron of Houston, Texas.

With their large family, Theresa and Ben have enjoyed many wonderful family activities and celebrations, including many birthdays, Thanksgivings and Christmases. They also enjoyed sharing together the several Catacombs Sunday School Class Family Retreats to Colorado and several Mexico Mission trips as members of the church clown troupe – she was “Tootsie the Clown”, and he was “Bebop the Clown”. They assisted Vacation Bible School teachers in walking through the neighborhoods, drawing kids to class and entertaining them. Another blessed time shared together was the six years that Theresa and Ben spent teaching English as a Second Language to Spanish-speaking people at an inner city church. Theresa was not only an excellent ESL teacher but, also, and more importantly, she showed the love of Jesus to her students through her teaching. They adored her as a result. Other special times together were spent during many cruises, particularly enjoying Alaska, New England and the Panama Canal as well as trips to Israel, Europe and to the Mount Rushmore area.

Theresa's main desire was to extend the grace that she had received from Christ to those around her. She had a passion for studying God's Word and showing people that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. As her first priority, she invested that passion in her children, grandchildren and husband with intention. Theresa has shown us all how to live with joy, how to build a good marriage and how to raise children in the nurture of the Lord. And now in the last two years, she has shown us how to suffer and die with faith and not fear, with courage and not complaints, with trust and love, with peace and victory.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Beltway 8 South Crisis Pregnancy Center, 10851 Scarsdale Blvd., Suite 800, Houston, TX 77089.