Alenka Lankford Smith

Several ’s’ words describe my mother: sweet, sassy, snarky, strong, stubborn, self-assured, and stoic. Oddly enough, snake also comes to mind — never as a descriptor, but in terms of the well-known fact of how much she disliked them.

She loved music, flowers, pets of fur, feather, and fin, road trips and travel with my dad, theater, crafts, bingo, painting, sewing, embroidery, and knitting. She also enjoyed quality time with her daughters, grandchildren, and greats. She was a wonderful Grams.

In her prime, she was often the life of the party, and regularly played Shanghai and Aggravation with family and friends, surrounded by love, laughter, and the not-so-occasional noxious after-effects of a taco salad full of beans.

Her strength and self-assuredness came through during her service in the USMC in the 60s, where she met different types of people and learned the value of friendship and acceptance.

Her stubborn perseverance powered her through all nine of her proverbial lives. She survived multiple strokes, an aneurysm, brain mass, craniotomy, bowel obstruction, and a mastectomy and chemo treatments without taking so much as one Tylenol.

A true Libra, she aimed for fairness in all things, with a “down to the penny” approach to finances, life, and death. She believed in taking care of what you have, paying your bills on time, and hard work. She was also a harsh critic, holder of grudges, and master of the silent treatment.

You may not have known some of these things, as her cool, detached stoicism made it difficult at times to get to know her on a deeper level. She held her secrets close. Despite this, later in life she met her very best friend, Betty Stanfield, who brought out the best in her in the years after their husbands’ deaths.

At the end, as her short-term memory quickly faded, she resided at Silver Lakes in Glencoe. Their love and care gave us another nine months with her, for which we are eternally grateful.

She will be sorely missed and thought of often by many.

We love you, Mom. Rest in peace. ~Amber Bobo

Alenka Lankford Smith was born in Rome, Georgia on October 9, 1946 to Fred Walter Lankford and Alice Lankford. She grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and was a graduate of Ramsey High School.

She passed away peacefully the night of December 26, 2025. She was preceded in death by her husband of 24 years, James "Jim" Thomas Smith; her father, mother, and brother, Charles Lankford.

Alenka is survived by her brother Fred E. Stewart, daughters LaShon (Dwayne) Self, Amber (Zach) Bobo, grandchildren Brad (Samantha) Self, Crimson (Derrell) Landry, and great grands Talulah Reign Self, Delainey Kate Self, and Bodhi Reese Landry.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, January 3, 2026 at Morgan Funeral Chapel from 12:00 - 12:30 PM for family and 12:30 - 1:30 PM for friends. A graveside service officiated by Reverend Michael Mills will be held at 2:00 PM at Rainbow Memorial Gardens.