Phoebe Hansel Smith left to be with her Lord and savior, and her husband on May 7, 2020, at the age of 96, after living a long and good life. She was the youngest of four children born to Jake Sylvester and Zenobie Easterly, on April 15, 1924 in Kemp, Texas. She grew up in Kaufman County, Texas and graduated with a class of twelve from Stubbs High School. After high school, she moved with her parents to California and married her husband, Joe L. Smith on July 2, 1944, shortly before he left to Europe in the Army Air Corps during World War II. While in California, she was a bona fide “Rosie the Riveter”, supporting the war effort by working in aircraft assembly plants at North American and the California Flyers. After the war, she moved back to Texas with her husband and took up residence in Dallas. It was here that their only child and daughter, Marita Jo, was born. In 1956, her family moved to Arlington, Texas, where she worked for Collins Radio and another aircraft assembly plant run by Texas Instruments. Arlington is where she made a home for her family and where she lived the remainder of life, until she moved to Pensacola, Florida in 2016 to live with her daughter.
She was a devout Christian and a dedicated member of Highland Baptist Church. She will be remembered as a loving and devoted wife to her husband Joe; a loving and kind mother to her daughter Marita and her husband Phil; a loving and special grandmother to her two grandchildren Amber and Andy, and his wife Beth; as well as her four great grandchildren, Jordan, Rachel, Zachary, and Autumn; and a loving and cherished aunt to her nieces and nephews; all of whom she was so proud.
Phoebe Hansel Smith was a model of virtue, a matriarch to four generations, and the epitome of a life well lived. She was part of the “greatest generation” of Americans in the 20th century. She was unwavering in her faith and love of God, her family, and her country. She was beautiful, kind, patient, selfless, and courageous. She was our “Bebe.” Now she has passed to the ages and, although she will be missed, she will not be forgotten. She has gone to greener pastures, she fought the good fight, she finished the course, she kept the faith, and she will have a crown of righteousness laid up for her.
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