Elise Mayo Smith

Elsie Mayo Smith, 96, of Baton Rouge LA. died January 28, 2016. She was the daughter of Pearl Alma Crenshaw Mayo and Crawford Arnold Mayo, loving wife of Calvin Rutherford Smith and loving mother to Barbara Gayle Smith Alexander. She passed away on January 28th at Carpenter House in Baton Rouge, LA. She grew up in Jones, LA and graduated from Bonita High School. While attending Bish Mathis Institute (a business college) in Monroe, LA, she met Calvin Rutherford Smith. They were married on December 14, 1940 in the parsonage at the First Baptist Church of Monroe. In March 1942, she and Calvin moved to Baton Rouge where he worked for Standard Oil (now Exxon Mobile). They faithfully attended Istrouma Baptist Church from May 1942 until their respective deaths. Elsie was a secretary of Istrouma Baptist Church for four years until she resigned to care for her daughter, Barbara Gayle Smith, who was born in April 1948. She was also a member of the Istrouma Chapter #162 Order of the Eastern Star. Elsie began working in the finance department of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System on March 1, 1957, and remained there until her retirement in 1983. Elsie is survived by two grandchildren, Jonette Carlson and her husband Leif of Orlando, FL, and Shawn Alexander and his wife Sabrina of Pearland, TX. Elsie is also survived by three great grandchildren, Sterling, Madelyn, and Sebastian. Visitation will be held at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, East, 11000 Florida Boulevard, Monday, February 1, 2016 from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm. Visitation continues Tuesday, February 2, 2016, after 9:30 am until religious services at 10:30 am. Interment will follow in Greenoaks Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, Elsie's family requests memorial gifts be made to the Istrouma Baptist Church Capital Fund or the Woman's Missionary Union.