Genevieve Norvelle Smith

After a colorful academic career at Saint Ignatius and McGill-Toolen, she enrolled at Auburn, graduating with a degree in communications and a passion for SEC football that lasted the rest of her life. She then spent a decade in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she became a much-beloved school secretary at Saint Anne’s-Belfield and volunteered with local children’s organizations. In the mid-nineties she moved back to Mobile, working in a variety of positions, staying close to her large extended family and many loyal friends, enjoying the city’s social life, and celebrating its Mardi Gras traditions with gusto. In 2004 she married James Ronald “John Henry” Johnson, who died in 2020.

Genevieve had a keen eye for art and photography. She loved dogs, music and movies, and had an encyclopedic knowledge of all three. She also loved her family and was proud of its history, working hard to commemorate and record it. She will be remembered for her vivacity, her fierce intelligence, her quirky, infectious sense of humor, her kindness to others, and her gift for (mostly printable) language.

Genevieve’s parents were Mickey (Jane Houser) and Donnie (Donald Henry) Smith. She is survived by her mother; her sisters Lilly (Lillian Smith Clementi) and Franney (Jane Frances Smith Schulz), her brothers-in-law Vito Clementi and Michael Schulz; her niece Janie (Jane Frances Houser) Schulz; and her nephew Donald Smith Schulz, as well as a large, colorful tribe of aunts, uncles and cousins.

Family and friends are invited to remember Genevieve on Friday, October 9, at the Athelstan Club in Mobile. A brief memorial service will be held at 11:00 am, followed by visitation with the family until 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please make a memorial contribution in Genevieve’s name to the charity of your choice.