Frances Laverne Smith

Laverne was born on July 21, 1935, to the late Frances and Vernon Lagre Roberts. She was raised in Monticello, GA, and attended Monticello High School where she was involved in 4-H and played basketball. She was a proud member of the Kappa Delta sorority at her beloved University of Georgia where she graduated in 1956 with a BS degree in Home Economics. She married Thomas Jackson "Jack" Smith in 1957 and moved to Tampa, FL where she taught home economics at Plant High School. Their only son, Jay, was born in 1964. They moved back to Monticello in 1974 where she was a homemaker until the early '90's when she went back to school and became recertified in special education which she taught throughout the remainder of her career at Jasper County High School. In 2019 she moved into an assisted living community in Atlanta to be closer to her family.

Lavern is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Jay and Laura Smith, grandson and his wife, Jack and Elizabeth Smith, grandson, Charlie Smith and her brother, Danny Roberts.

Vernie loved God, her family, being a teacher, peppermint hard candies, anything chocolate, a good piece of steak, a nice shade of lipstick and Georgia football. Even in these last months when she struggled to remember people's names, we could ask her, "How 'bout them...., and she would answer, "Dawgs" with a big smile on her face!

On Monday, June 2nd, we will have a graveside service at 11:00 a.m. at Floral Hills Memory Gardens, 3150 Lawrenceville Hwy, Tucker, GA 30084. Visitation will follow at the adjacent Floral Hills Funeral Home.