Paula Irene Smith Collie

Paula Irene Smith Collie, 94, of Collierville, TN died on May 12, 2025. Paula was born on a farm outside of Sterling, KS on July 26, 1930. She moved to Memphis in 1960 and has remained in the area since then.

Paula is survived by her children Dana Davis and Matt Smith (Teri); grandchildren Emily Winter (Ron), Tyler Davis, Conner Davis (Mary Kathryn), Madison May (Stephen), and Hunter Smith; and her 92 year old brother Tony Renollet from Sterling, Kansas. She loved to brag about her 11 great grandchildren and the 12th one on the way. Paula is also survived by her late husband Bob Collie’s three children and their families.

Paula was blessed with two great, long term marriages, each lasting over 30 years. She first was married to Eugene “Doc” Smith and they moved from central Kansas, to Indiana, to Amarillo Texas and finally settled in Memphis in 1960 and resided there until Doc’s death in 1979. During many of those years, Paula worked at Holiday Inn corporate headquarters and retired from there in the early 80’s. In 1981, Paula married Bob Collie and they eventually moved to Collierville. They spent much of their time at Bob’s farm in Northeast Arkansas, traveling or playing golf until Bob died in 2018. Paula continued to live in that house she shared with Bob until her very recent move to StoryPoint and enjoyed her independent living apartment and balcony there.

Paula was a very active, engaging and strong woman and that continued as a vibrant senior citizen. She was an avid reader, a talented cross stich artist and loved gardening. She loved her church, Collierville Christian Church, and was actively involved serving as a Life Elder and leading a Sunday School class there until November 2024. She loved meeting new people and engaging in conversation. Paula enjoyed telling stories of her varied life experiences such as growing up on the farm in central Kansas in the 1930’s and 1940’s, and the unique experiences of raising a family while living in the athletic dorms at Memphis State University in the 60’s and 70’s. This was very evident as she made many new friends and told many interesting stories to the nurses and doctors in her recent short stay at Baptist Hospital.

A celebration of Paula’s life will be held at Collierville Christian Church, 707 New Byhalia Rd., Collierville, TN 38017 on Monday, May 19 with visitation at noon, service at 1pm and a reception from 2-3pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Collierville Christian Church, T’s Angels (12048 Orchid Lane, Alpharetta, GA 30009), or cancer related charities of your choice.