She was born in Marion, Alabama on October 8, 1937, to the late Rufus and Boyce Tubbs Smith. Claudette was a 1957 graduate of Jones Valley High School and worked as a school bus driver for Shelby County School District. On March 6, 1958, she married Frankie Levan and they would enjoy 62 years of marriage before his passing in 2020.
Left to cherish her memory are her two sons, Tim Levan and Stephen Levan (Julie); and her siblings, Stella Levan, Jannis McKenzie, Keith Smith, Tracy Smith, and Frieda Negron.
A visitation will be held at Ridout's Southern Heritage Funeral Home on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm. Funeral services will take place at Ridout's Southern Heritage Funeral Home on Saturday, December 9, 2023, at 11:00 am with burial following at Southern Heritage Cemetery.