Eva Mai Smith Edmonds

Eva is survived by many nieces and nephews living throughout the United States, with several in the New Orleans metropolitan area including Joni Warren (Larry), Gwyn Cassou (Randy), Waneta Okronglis (Frank), Gary Okronglis (Tina), Sonya Riolo (Ronnie) and Todd Okronglis (Brenda).

She is predeceased in death by her parents, Nancy and Calvin Smith and siblings, William Smith, Alice Kinney, George Smith, Roy Smith, Nancy Yarbrough, Launa Mears, James Smith, Lenora Butler and Ann Adams.

Eva was the youngest of ten children, always happily reporting to everyone that she was the “first baby born in Cocoa, Florida in 1938”. She was known for her love of God, family, friends, food (especially PB&J sandwiches and New Orleans beignets but always making it known that she did not like olives or liver and onions), Starbucks coffee (she frequented Starbucks so often that the baristas in the Bellevue and Slidell areas knew her order without being told – tall iced coffee with 4 pumps of raspberry, extra ice, extra cream in her personal Starbucks Venti cup), music (her favorite musicians were Jim Reeves and Johnny Cash), cruising and the color of green, dressing in green most of the time. She also loved cruising, which she did often with her sister Ann, exploring many destinations together. Eva lived in several different cities and states over the years, including several years in New Orleans in the early 1960s when she was a switchboard operator at Charity Hospital. After a few years she decided to move to Maryland where another sister, Lenora, lived. Her wanderlust soon called her to visit her brother Jim in Washington State, where she fell in love with the area, so she next moved to Bellevue, Washington, calling it home for several decades. While living in Bellevue Eva was a member of Crossroads Bible Church. She worked as a switchboard operator and receptionist at the Bellevue corporate offices for Safeway for 25 years. She loved her job with Safeway and always said that it was the best job she ever had. She ultimately retired from Safeway at the age of 78. Shortly after retiring from Safeway, she moved to Louisiana due to health issues, first residing with her niece Sonya and her family for several years and later at Avanti Senior Living Memory Care until her death.

Visitation will be at Grace Funeral Home, 450 Holy Trinity Drive, Covington, Louisiana on Monday, March 16, 2026, at 10:00 am with funeral services at 11:30 am.

Interment will be at Sunset Hills Memorial Park in Bellevue, Washington.

Special thanks to the staff and dedicated aides at Avanti Senior Living at Covington for their compassionate care and support through the years.

The family also wishes to express their deepest gratitude to the nurses and staff at St. Tammany Hospice for the kindness, dignity and support given by the entire hospice team.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions in memory of Eva may be made to the Alzheimer's Association at https://www.alz.org.