Mattie V. Smith

Mattie V Smith left this life and went to her eternal home on December 22, 2021. There she was met by Jesus, her Savior, and Bob, her loving husband of 61 years. Mattie is survived by her son Bobby (Tina), Tommy (Laura), her grandchildren John, Caitlin, Courtney, Caleb, Kyle, and Lindsey, and her great grandchildren, Maddie, Abbie, Knox, Xander, Heath, Xayla, Felicity, and Raleigh. In addition to her husband, Mattie was preceded in death by her daughter Debbie, and two grandsons, Jeremy and Josh.

Mattie was the biblical picture of a devoted wife. Her love for her husband was only exceeded by her love for Jesus. Her children and grandchildren were able to see for themselves what it looks like when a wife submits herself to Christ by willingly submitting herself to her husband’s leadership. They had their struggles as most couples do, but their commitment to one another and to the family that they built through God’s blessings saw them through and the bond between them only grew stronger as the years passed. She lovingly cared for Bob as he struggled with dementia, until he went home to be with Jesus. She lived her life in service to others, particularly her family. Her family was her life. The walls of her home are covered with the evidence of a life well lived. Some of her final words were to her family when she said, “Be good to one another when I am gone”.

Mattie and Bob were both good dancers and enjoyed many nights out dancing together during their 61 years together. It was a pleasure seeing how naturally they blended together as dancers.

Before she married, Mattie worked in concessions at the airport, as a beautician, and other odd jobs. Once she married, and the first child was born, she became a stay-at-home mom. She was so active in the PTA at her children’s schools, that some people thought she was on staff. She did her best to see that each of her children were raised in the church, involved in activities to make them well rounded, and most of all that they were loved. She would work as a beautician out of her home to make extra money to take her children on adventures when Bob was working his 24-hour shifts. After her youngest child moved from elementary to middle school, she began to work part-time at Sears selling maintenance agreements, and of course, she was one of the best in her field, winning numerous sales awards. After retiring from Sears, she began to work part-time as a product demonstrator for Sam’s Club and Walmart. As Bob’s dementia progressed, she stopped working outside the home and began taking full-time care of him.

Mattie was baptized at Oakville Baptist church as an adolescent, was a member of St. Matthews United Methodist Church and then Grimes United Methodist Church until it closed a few years ago. After that she became a member of Covenant Baptist Church and remained a member until her death. She was also a 50-year member of The Normal Whitehaven #43 Chapter of the Eastern Star. We celebrate her life, cherish the memories that we have of her, and praise God for the many gifts that He gave us through knowing and being loved by her.

A gathering of friends and family will take place Tuesday, December 28, 2021 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Covenant Baptist Church, 3170 S Houston Levee Rd., Collierville, TN 38139 with a funeral service to immediately follow at 11:00 AM. A committal service will occur Tuesday, December 28, 2021 from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM at Memphis Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, 3700 North Germantown Parkway, Bartlett, TN 38133.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.FamilyFuneralMemphis.com for the Smith family.