Marian "Sissie" D'Augereaux

Marian “Sissie” D’Augereaux lost her long battle with COPD and heart disease on June 6, 2016. She was 61 years old. Marian Bernice Smothers was born in Mesa, Arizona on November 27, 1954. She was the fourth child and first girl born to Edna Mae and William Lacy Smothers. One of her favorite stories to tell was that she was born in a taxicab, delivered by a doctor from a nearby psychiatric hospital, and was dubbed “The Tiny Ocotillo Tot” by the local newspaper. Such a unique start was definitely a sign that this was the start of an equally unique life. Marian got her nickname, Sissie, by being a sister to seven brothers and two sisters. Being the eldest sister, she was also the main caretaker of her younger siblings, a role she would cherish and maintain throughout her life as she started her own family. As her family frequently moved and money was hard to come by, Sissie learned how to be a survivor. And survive she did. Tough as nails, she gussied herself up at 14, lied about her age, and got a job as a waitress at Dot Coffee Shop to earn money. She also worked backstage at a local music venue, telling her favorite musical acts when it was time to take the stage. Her claim to fame was that she got to scold Three Dog Night for showing up late to a show, saying, “I’m sure they were thinking, ‘Who the heck is this little twerp?’” That was the exact spunkiness and no-nonsense attitude that made everyone love her so much. Sissie married Michael Joseph D’Augereaux on June 17, 1974. They had two children, Jeramy Michael and Nicole Michelle. They bought a house in Pasadena, Texas, where they still reside. In 1987, she and Michael opened a business, a used car dealership, Bargain Autos. There, they made a living and raised their children at the same time. During this time, Sissie singlehandedly ran the household and handled customer service and bookkeeping. If it needed making, cooking, repairing, cleaning, doctoring, mowing, folding, managing, or scolding, she was there to make sure that it was done to the best of her ability. She sewed Halloween costumes, made holiday feasts, reupholstered car interiors, designed flower arrangements for weddings, and the list could go on and on. It seemed like she could catch anything that life threw at her, make it better, and throw it right back. She was everyone’s rock, confidant, advocate, and therapist, the one everyone feared but loved fiercely, and she loved just as fiercely in return. She and Michael sold their business in 2007 after Michael suffered a head injury. During that time, she nursed him back to health, even as her health was starting to take a downward turn. She never hesitated to speak her mind on any issue, and was very passionate and firm in her convictions. She was a self-proclaimed Jesus enthusiast, and would spread her love of the gospel at any opportunity. She was always ready to lend an ear or helping hand, and her wit, sense of humor, and love of her country brightened the days of so many. Sissie was preceded in death by her mother and father, Edna Mae and William Lacy Smothers, younger brother, David Richard “Ricky” Smothers, and her older brother, Randall Arlen “Bo” Smothers. She is survived by her husband Michael, son Jeramy and wife Tocia and grandchildren Courtney, Daphney, and Joshua, daughter Nicole, brothers Wayne and wife Theresa Smothers and family, Donald “Donny” and wife Joy Smothers and family, James “Jimmy” and wife Mary Smothers and family, Billy and wife Holly Smothers, Bobby and wife Jan Smothers, sisters Judy and husband Danny Culwell and family, Ann and husband Matthew Fox and family, and sister-in-law and wife of Ricky, Jorene Smothers and family. She has innumerable nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, and cousins who will greatly miss her.