Shirley Joann Smith's Obituary
Shirley JoAnn Smith,84,of Fruitvale, Texas passed away 4/25/2021. She was born 6/23/1936 to Jesse Kinney and Annie Bell Kinney in Simms. Texas. She married Leemon Smith Jr. on 2/14/1959 in Oklahoma. She was a long distance telephone operator for many years. She is survived by Sons Terry (Tena) Smith of Emory, TX., Dee Smith (Penny) of Floresville, TX. and Friend Larry Eddington of Fruitvale, TX. Also, Sisters Ovella (Tootsie) Forsyth, Barbara Jean Osborn, Four Grandchildren, Jessica Allen, Tanner (Alise) Smith, Katie Smith, Emily Smith one great-grandchild Ashton Allen.
She was preceded in death by her husband Leemon Smith Jr,. two sisters and four brothers.
Shirley JoAnn Smith was born in Simms, Texas, Bowie County, on June 23, 1936. Born into a farming family, she was the eighth of nine children of Jessie and Annie Bell Kinney. Shirley, along with four brothers and four sisters, assisted the family as they worked the fields. As a young child, one of Shirley's chores was to carry water to her brothers as they picked cotton bu hand in the fields. Her early life began in Bowie County but the family migrated to Cottie County near Paducah, Texas. This is where she completed her high school education. After that, she relocated to the Dallas area where she began working for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. While in Dallas, she met and married Leemon Smith Jr. They went on to raise two boys in the Garland area, where she retired from what became AT&T. After the passing of her Husband, she moved to Fruitvale, Texas where she enjoyed fishing with her grandchildren. Shirley loved life and some of her finest memories in retirement years were spending time with her nieces and nephews at many different casinos throughout the county. She is survived by her two boys, four grandchildren and one greatgrandchild.
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