Cornelia B. Smith

Connie, as she was affectionately known by her family and friends, was the beloved wife of the late Major Hugh C. Smith (U.S. Air Force, retired World War II veteran), cherished mother of the late Robert C. Smith (U.S. Army Vietnam veteran), Leah Smith Angers of Austin Texas, and her youngest son, the late SP4 William David Smith (U.S. Army, KIA Vietnam). She was a loving Grandmother of Rhonda Franjie and her husband Tony Franjie of The Woodlands, Texas, Chad Smith of Spring Texas, and Dr. Rachel Angers Liu and her husband Tayun (Li) Liu of Denver Colorado. Her pride and joy was her great-grandson, Kennedy Smith of the The Woodlands Texas (son of Rhonda Franjie). As the youngest of seven children, she was the dear daughter of the late Robert Edgar Baxter and the late Nellie Cooper Baxter of Lumberton Mississippi. She was preceded in death by her siblings, Mildred Moreland, Grace Bertucci, Iris Byrd, Gladys Mathews, Meredith Baxter, and James Baxter. Her surviving niece and nephews are Andre Miller, Paul Baxter, Ann Baxter.

Connie was born October 31, 1922 in Lumberton Mississippi. As a young women, during World War II, she worked as an aircraft mechanic at Kessler Air Forces Base in Biloxi, where she met her future husband. She attended nursing school at Touro Infirmary Hospital in New Orleans. When the war ended, Hugh and Connie married and spent the next 19 years traveling the world as a military family, along with their three children Leah, Billy and Bobby. Upon her husband’s retirement from the Air Force, the family moved to Lafayette, Louisiana where they lived for many years. Connie was employed as the Personnel Manager for Montgomery Wards. After her retirement, she and Hugh relocated to Biloxi, Mississippi. From 2005 until her death, she resided in Houston, Texas to be near her grandchildren.

Connie will be laid to rest on Friday, May 16, 2014 in Poplarville City Cemetery, Poplarville, Mississippi next to her first born child, an infant daughter, who passed away at birth. Visitation will be from 12:00 noon until 2:00 p.m. on Friday, with funeral services to begin 2:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Poplarville, followed by internment.