Carmen Joy Smith

Carmen Joy Cochran Smith, a longtime resident of Mandeville, Louisiana and a cherished wife, mother, grandmother and friend passed away November 16, 2025, after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. She will be deeply missed and forever in the hearts of those whose lives she touched.

Carmen was born May 4, 1943, in Salem, Oregon – the only child of Verl and Doris Hadley Cochran. She was a happy girl. She lived in Hubbard Oregon until 1952 attending Hubbard Grade School through the third grade. Her maternal grandparents, James Harrison Hadley & Mabel Cree Hadley (Nanan & Bapa) lived next door in a house that her dad Verl built for them. She attended fourth and fifth grades in Canby after Verl bought the local truck Line. In Carmen’s words - “My mom helped out in the office at the truck line. One time, while mom was at work, some neighbor girls dared me to throw a mud pie at their bedroom window, which I did. They told on me and I got in trouble. Because I was rarely in trouble, being the “bad girl” was a shame to me.” They moved to Silverton, Oregon in 1954 to run the Silverton school buses and built a house on Western Ave. across the street from the bus garage. The house was very nice, a split level with a daylight basement which allowed Carmen to host a couple of parties during her high school years. In 1961 Carmen graduated from Silverton High School SUHS where she had remarkable achievements - third highest GPA in a class of 105, Girl’s State, Girl of the Month, TNT President, Best Actress in “Time Out for Ginger” and “The Perfect Idiot,” Thespians, and Prom Princess. She met the love of her life, John Smith in the 6th grade at Eugene Field School in Silverton.

After high school they both went to Oregon State University. They married in 1963 and moved to New Orleans in 1964 when John accepted a position with the Boeing Company - helping to build the Saturn V rocket for the 1969 mission to the moon. Carmen graduated from the University of New Orleans in 1969 with a Biology degree (she was delayed a few years raising their wonderful daughter Debby). In 1969 John resigned from Boeing and they started a personnel service “Professional Staffing.” Over 26 years they built a business with offices in six states and about 60 full time employees. Carmen became a Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC) in 1972 and was a Charter Member of the Louisiana Association of Personnel Consultants serving on its board of directors for several years and as the association’s president. In 1981 she received the National Association of Personnel Consultants “Chairperson of the Year” award for her service to the association.

In 1996, they sold the business, retired and bought a summer home outside their hometown of Silverton, Oregon. Carmen did volunteer work tutoring grade school kids; some church work associated with recovery from Hurricane Katrina and spent as much time as she could with her granddaughters. For more than 20 years she and John were involved with creating and funding the Silverton High School Alumni Association (SHSAA) which has granted more than one million dollars to high school graduates to continue their education. Carmen’s passion was building a business with John and working with the high school alumni association.

Her happiness was spending time with John, their daughter Debby, son-in-law Arthur, and granddaughters Theresa, Sophia and Rachel Leith to whom she was a beloved “Gam.” She had a lovely family and was a wonderful hostess who enjoyed hosting many family gatherings most of which included Carmen and John’s close friend Norma Peikert and her son Michael, daughter Danielle Peikert Meyer, son in law Scott Meyer, and their daughters Emma, Isabella and Olivia Meyer. Carmen enjoyed travel to many places including Greece, Peru, Panama, Alaska, Hawaii, and Germany where they visited with John’s stepsister Rose, half-sister Ruby and Ruby’s daughter Julia Siefert (husband Stefan and sons Julius and Philipp Siefert). She was preceded in death by her parents Verl and Doris Cochran, her mother-in-law Ruby Briggs Smith Morgan, her stepfather in law Todd Morgan, her stepmother Phyllis Cochran and her stepsister in law Rose Monette. Carmen is survived by the family and friends mentioned above, her brother-in-law Don Smith (Wife DeAnn), Bill Graling (wife Ally) and his kids Zac, Ethan and Isabella, and by Wendy Luttrell (husband Duane) and Wendy’s daughters Mackenzie McCarthy (husband Ryan) and Mariah Swift (husband Daniel). She is also survived by two stepsisters (daughters of Verl’s 4th wife Phyllis Livingston Cochran) Karen Livingston and Arlene Crooks and Arlene’s daughter Rose Crooks and son Will Crooks (wife Tera) and their son Logan and daughter Scarlet. Carmen was a wonderful person – strong, loving, and someone with a truly open heart and genuine care for others. We thank her for everything she has been and everything she will always be in our hearts.

The family extends their thanks to the staff of Trinity Trace Community Care Center and Notre Dame Hospice for their support and care during Carmen’s final days.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Silverton High School Alumni Association (SHSAA) as part of the Carmen Joy Cochran Smith Scholarship fund. For info about how to donate go to shsfoxes.com.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, December 6, 2025, from 10:00 am until 11:00 am at the Grace Funeral Home (450 Holy Trinity Drive, Covington, LA). A Memorial Service will be held on at 11:00 am on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at Grace Funeral Home (450 Holy Trinity Drive, Covington, LA).