Lucia Thompson Smith

Lucia Thompson Smith, 75, of McKinney, Texas passed away on July 12, 2026, after suffering a stroke. A Celebration of Life service will be held on Tuesday, August 11, 2026 (1-4pm) at Ted Dickey Funeral Home located at 2128 18th Street, Plano, Texas.

Lucia was born on December 11, 1950, in Nederland, Texas to H.L. Thompson and Rose Helen Thompson. She was the youngest of four sisters, Jennifer Fuselier (deceased), Mary Anne Cowgill, and Kathy Erickson (deceased). Lucia was preceded in death by her devoted husband of 30 years, Preston H. Smith. She is survived by her stepdaughters Katherine Smith Heartfield and Renee Smith Fricano (Greg); her stepson David Smith (Desi); two grandsons Byron Smith (Sheri) and Christopher Smith (Amber); nine great-grandchildren; and three great, great grandchildren. She is also survived by her four nieces, Kimberlee Brent, Rose Mary Brent (Douglas), April Brent Owen (Jim), and Jackie Brent Ballard (Tim); two nephews, Michael Atkins (Darla) and Christopher Erickson; 19 great nieces and nephews; and friends too numerous to name.

Here are a few brushstrokes on the canvas of Lucia’s life...

Lucia attended Nederland High School and graduated in 1969. During her junior and senior years, Lucia shined as an enthusiastic member of the Nederland Westernaires, a nationally recognized drill/dance team dedicated to supporting the pride of the Nederland Bulldogs. After graduation from NHS, Lucia attended Chenier Business College in Beaumont, Texas. There she met Patty Counce Eddins, another Chenier student, who would become one of Lucia’s lifelong friends. Looking forward to having more independence, the two shared a mission to complete the business program and secure jobs as quickly as possible.

Upon graduation from Chenier in 1970, Lucia was immediately placed in the typing pool at Aviation Office of America, an aviation underwriting organization. Patty soon followed. When discussing their long-time friendship, Patty expressed deep admiration for Lucia’s intelligence, talent, and charisma. She also shared that Lucia was someone she could always count on and how much she will miss Lucia’s “big ole smile” and infectious laughter.

While working at AOA, Lucia met Preston H. Smith. A few years later, on August 30, 1973, they were married. Theirs was a relationship characterized by deep affection and mutual respect punctuated regularly with quick-witted banter. Preston is credited with introducing Lucia to the restorative power of Blue Bell ice cream, which Lucia gleefully passed on to friends and family members, usually accompanied by Preston’s signature phrase, “Darlin, I think you are in need of some Blue Bell.”

Sadly, Preston unexpectedly passed away in June 2004. Throughout the 22 years after his death, Lucia continued to confide with friends and family how much she missed Preston, his steadiness and intellect, and especially his sharp sense of humor and the laughter that was so characteristic of their life together.

Anyone who knew Lucia for very long would come to understand that she approached life very much like a glorious banquet, a bountiful feast of opportunities to learn, create, experiment, and experience. Whether she was exploring a creative art form like pottery or painting or encaustic or photogravure, Lucia was tasting each new thing and learning. When traveling to far flung destinations, such as Italy, Scotland, Greece, or China, Lucia was tasting each new place and learning. If she liked what she tasted, she would record what she learned in some creative way and share it with others. Tasting was always about learning, growing, stretching, and valuing the power of transformation in herself and others.

At 32 years of age, Lucia decided to begin working toward a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. It was a slow process, taking only a few classes at a time, but Lucia’s passion was ignited when she entered an art class taught by Holly Swift. Being new to teaching, Holly was somewhat frustrated by her students’ blasé attitudes toward the subject matter. But Lucia was inquisitive and enthusiastic and her intense interest in the course was contagious. Genuine student engagement began to grow. Holly now credits Lucia for inspiring her to persist in her art teaching career. And that, to borrow from Casablanca, was “the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” After 43 years of daily phone calls, adventures, misadventures, supporting one another across the miles, Holly describes Lucia as vibrant, graceful, beautiful inside and out, but also tenacious. Lucia demonstrated that tenacity when she graduated with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1996 Magna Cum Laude and earned her Master Of Arts degree in 2001 both from Texas Women’s University.

Lucia’s adventurous spirit was evident in her work with the Dallas Paleontological Society. Teaming up with her close friend Kate Fenton, Lucia invested incalculable effort and “sweat equity” as they volunteered on digs, unearthing fossils of all sorts, including dinosaur bones hidden beneath the North Texas soil. According to Kate, she could always count on Lucia to “find the fun” even in challenging situations. She describes Lucia as “a faithful friend who didn’t give up on people.”

Not giving up, or perseverance, was definitely a trait that Lucia developed early in life. Few outside of her family and closest friends are aware that Lucia was born into challenging circumstances. Even something simple, such as becoming a Westernaire in high school, required overcoming obstacles that most girls her age could not imagine. However, Lucia learned to rise to challenges, and she spent a great deal of her adult life trying to help others do the same. Her volunteer work with Equest Therapeutic Riding Center, ManeGait Therapeutic Horsemanship, and local children’s hospitals as well as her consistent financial support to specific charities were based in her deep desire to, in some small way, help others overcome obstacles in their lives.

Lucia lived an extraordinary life filled with adventure, creativity, lots of laughter, and fierce devotion to family and friends. She will be sorely missed by everyone that knew her.

In lieu of flowers, Lucia’s family invites you to give to one of her favorite nonprofits: Wounded Warriors, the Smithsonian, Special Olympics of Texas, or National Glaucoma Research.

A gathering celebrating her life will be held at Ted Dickey Funeral Home, Chapel, 2128 18th Street, Plano, Texas 75074, on August 11, 2026, beginning at 1:00 pm. Please join the family for light refreshments, available from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm