Melba Jean Proffitt Smith

Services for Melba Jean Proffitt Smith, 77, of Temple, will be 2:00 p.m. Tuesday at Seaton Cemetery Pavilion with Rev. Jack T. Riley officiating. She died Tuesday December 21 in a Temple hospital. Friends are requested to join the family for lunch at Sefcik Dance Hall following the funeral.

Jean was born December 27, 1932 in Carlton, TX to Charlie Proffitt and Delia Burden Proffitt. She married Charles L. Smith August 23, 1950 and lived in a number of different places over the next years as her husband served in the military. She had lived in Temple since 1977.

She was preceded in death by two husbands, Charles Smith and Emil Janicek.

Survivors include her husband of seven years, Theofil Lala; three sons, Michael Smith of Temple, Gary Smith of Cape Fair, MO, and Larry Smith of Lake Jackson; two daughters, Shirley Beaulieu of Pflugerville and Susan Bohannon of Temple; eleven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be Monday 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home of Temple. Words of condolence may be shared at www.crawfordbowerstemple.com.

EXTENDED BIOGRAPHY

Smith Family Autobiography

1950-1995

by Mom

Lived in Austin, TX from Aug. 25, 1950 until July 1951. Michael was born May 29, 1951 in

Hico, TX. Took him back to Austin when he was two weeks old. (Lived in two apartments in

Austin). Moved to New Orleans, LA in July 1951 when Michael was 6 weeks old. Lived there

for about 7 months and then your Dad got orders to go to Korea. Moved back to Carlton, TX

in January 1952 and lived with Mama and Daddy for 14 1/2 months. In March of 1953

Michael and I went on a ship to Japan. It took 14 days. Lived in 2 towns there and 3

different apartments. While living in Nagoya, Gary was born on April 30, 1954. (Actually it

was the 29th in the states). In July (Gary was 3 months old) we sailed for the USA - San

Francisco, CA. We moved back to New Orleans, LA. And I can't remember how long we lived

there; just a few months and then moved to Columbus, GA. Lived in 2 houses there and

then got quarters on post, Fort Bennings, GA, where Shirley was born November 14, 1956.

When Shirley was a few months old we moved to San Marcus, TX where your Dad went to

helicopter school and became a pilot. Lived there about 3 months and then got orders for

Fort Rucker, Alabama. We first lived in Dotham, Alabama and then moved over to

Enterprize, Alabama. We then moved to Fort Eustis, VA. We lived in 2 houses there. Left

there in 1959 for Mannheim, Germany. Only took 10 days on the ship. Gary started

Kindergarten there and Shirley went to nursery school. Lived there for 1 1/2 years and then

moved to Mainz, Germany. Larry was born June 26, 1961 while there at Bad Kreuznach, an

Army hospital about 45 minutes from Mainz. Shirley started Kindergarten while there. Lived

there for 1 1/2 years and then flew back to the states (New York). Larry was 14 months old.

We then moved to Fort Knox, Kentucky where we lived for 2 years. (Susan was started

there). We then moved to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas where Susan was born September 16,

1964. We lived there for 9 months and then your Dad got orders for Vietnam. Decided to

live in Mineral Wells, TX for the year he was in Vietnam. After the year and he came back,

we moved back to Fort Eustis, VA. Larry and Susan went to a private Kindergarten there.

We had been there for 3 years and then your Dad got orders to go back to Vietnam for

another year; so you guys and I lived another year there in our house. Mike graduated from

Denbigh High School here. While here Mike went into the Army. After your Dad came back

we moved to Alexandria, VA. After a year there we moved to Newport, Rhode Island. Gary

graduated from High School here. Lived here for a year. Moved to Edwardsville, IL. Lived

there for 4 years. Mike was in the Army in Germany and Gary was in college in VA. Shirley

graduated from High School, went to college for a while and then joined the Army. Mike

came back from Germany and went to VA where Gary was and started college. They both

left VA and came home in Illinois and started college there and got their degrees in 1976.

Mike and Janie got married and a year later Gary and Marcia got married. I became a

Grandmother when Wendy was born in 1973. Shirley was stationed at Fort Bragg, NC and

got married to John. Larry was in Jr. High and Susan in Elementary School. After 4 busy

years in Illinois, we moved to Panama Canal Zone. Only Larry and Susan lived there with

us. Shawn was born in 1976 right after we left Illinois. We lived in Panama for a year when

your Dad decided to retire from the Army. He was going to retire in October of 1977 with 26

1/2 years in the Army, but I left Panama in August with Susan (Larry was already in the

states) for Temple, TX to start them in school. Arrived in Temple on August 1, 1977. Larry

graduated from Belton High School and Susan from Temple High School. They both

attended Temple Junior College for a while as well as Shirley. She graduated from the

University of Texas.