Jacquelyn Docia Mills Smith

Jacque was born to U.S. "Chip" Mills and Dora Moore Mills in Wake County. She attended Green Hope School and Apex High School where she played basketball and was voted "best all-around" by her senior class. She attended Rex College where she also played basketball. At graduation, the faculty awarded her the Mary J. Dugan Award, presented "to the graduating student who has an outstanding personality, and exhibits the ability to maintain good relations, sympathy, and understanding of the patient's family and relatives." At graduation she was hired by the Wake Medical Hospital system where she served as director at one of the satellite hospitals in Apex, now relocated and known as WakeMed Cary.

One year after graduation, she married her high school sweetheart Earl Smith. They spent their entire married life together in the Apex area where they raised their three children. In addition to being a dedicated and loving mother, she devoted her time to her Salem Baptist fellowship where a service to celebrate her life will be held in the chapel Sunday, February 13th at 2pm. She was passionate about her faith and used her gift of administration to serve as church education (S.S.) director.

Before Earl's passing, they served their local church and enjoyed attending NC State Wolfpack basketball games in Raleigh. They also enjoyed annual extended family vacations at the beach. In addition, they loved to spend time with children and grandchildren in the mountains.

She enjoyed making her surroundings beautiful. Each year at Thanksgiving she always looked forward to hosting her large extended family. She cherished and celebrated each of her grandchildren. Jacque was a defender of those she loved.

Jacque loved to laugh with others and enjoyed laughing at herself. She was an exhorter and encourager. She liked competing in spelling bees and even recently would compete with family members - and she usually won. Through all her years, Jacque never lost her sense of discernment. She maintained the ability to express and communicate clearly. She also continued her love of reading. Often visitors would enter her room to find her reading God's promises aloud.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Earl Smith; parents, Chip and Dora Mills; and brother, Norman Mills.

She is survived by her sisters, Dorothy (Dot) Mills, Anna Kilzer, and Nancy Olive; her sons Aaron Smith (Princess) and Staley C. Smith (Glenda); daughter, Haley S. Hoffler (Alan); grandchildren, Buddy, Elisabeth and Samuel Smith, Benjamin S. and Hannah E. Smith, Joel W. and Allyson M. Hoffler, and six great-grandchildren.

Apex Funeral Home assisting the family.