Jean G. Smith

On Tuesday, September 23, 2025, Jean Gardner Smith passed into Jesus’ loving embrace at the age of 95. Jean was a longtime resident of Sugar Land, Texas.

She was born Betty Jean Gardner on August 27, 1930, in Athens, Alabama, to Wylie D. Gardner and Icie Naomi Brooks Gardner.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, James Preston Gardner and Harold Brooks Gardner; her sister, Katherine Gail Gardner Lucas; and her husband, Charles Byron Smith, Jr., who passed away in 2020.

She is survived by her son, Stephen Earl Schuster of Sugar Land, Texas.

Jean grew up during the Great Depression in the Tennessee River Valley. Her family were sharecroppers, moving from farm to farm to pick cotton and peanuts. After World War II, opportunity knocked, and the family relocated to Oklahoma City to begin a new chapter.

Jean graduated from Central High School in Oklahoma City in 1949. There she met and married Henry Earl Schuster. They were married for 22 years and had one son together.

In 1973, Jean met Charles Byron Smith, Jr., beginning a 47-year love story. Together, they lived, worked, traveled, and built businesses. Jean and Charlie met while working at Geo Prospectors, Inc. in Tulsa, Oklahoma. When Charlie moved to Houston, they reunited and worked at Georex, Inc. before founding Georex Data, Inc. They supervised geophysical crews across the Midcontinent region of the United States, running multiple "doodlebugger" teams gathering data for oil companies.

When the demand for data decreased, Jean and Charlie transitioned to ranching. They founded the CJ Ranch in Leon County, Texas, raising Charolais cattle. Their annual cattle sale became a cherished family tradition each October. They also showed their cattle at rodeos around the country and once won Reserve Grand Champion Bull at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Jean and Charlie were avid world travelers. They took yearly trips around the globe, with favorite destinations including France and Germany, where they visited friends and collected Hummel figurines.

In later years, Jean and Charlie enjoyed a peaceful retirement in Sugar Land. They are already deeply missed by all who knew and loved them.