Evelyn LaVerne Smith

How can we possibly describe Evelyn LaVerne Smith in a few paragraphs. Accomplished woman, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, friend? Yes to all of those yet she was so much more. Born in the Fort Worth Texas hospital across from the stockyards and her Indian grandmother's boarding house. She was a Shirley Temple look-a-like and knew no fear. This courage followed her throughout her life. She loved gymnastics and dancing and later in life she would accompany her mom, Violet Calaway, to various venues in L.A. & Bakersfield. At 16 she graduated from high school and continued on to 2 years of college before deciding to marry. Three children came along in quick succession and kept her extremely busy. When all were in school, it was necessary for her to enter the workforce. She tackled her career with that "no fear" attitude and became a much respected legal secretary, executive assistant and engineering tech for Tidewater, Getty and Texaco oil companies. LaVerne was a single mom in the 60's and worked extremely hard to provide for her 3 children. Certainly not an easy task, she took the challenge with no complaint and made it work. Family friend, Fred Smith, who was to become the love of her life, reentered the scene and they quickly knew they were to build a life together. LaVerne finally knew the true meaning of sharing a life with someone as a friend, companion and lover. Married 41 years this was a true union made in heaven. On retirement, they built a home in Cayucos, CA & lived there forever more. Retirement didn't stop LaVerne's quest for knowledge & learning. She was a voracious reader & never had less than 2 books in progress plus periodicals & anything else she found interesting. Her home library is a sight for sore eyes & she cherished it. Very active with the Republican Women's Assn and her sorority and held various positions over the years. She would travel to conventions whenever possible. Yep, she loved politics! This brief history of the life of LaVerne Smith would be totally incomplete without emphasizing the great love she had for Christ. Learning of his life & those times found her attending bible studies to further this desire. She took copious notes of passages she wanted to keep fresh in her mind & loved sharing her love for Christ. LaVerne leaves behind her loving husband, Fred, sons Mike & Tim, Daughter Denise, step daughter Sandy, step son Steve, many, many grandchildren & great grandchildren will miss her dearly. She leaves a sizeable hole in his family but we can certainly say none of us will ever forget her, Happy in Heaven now...HALLELUIAH!!!

Evelyn LaVerne Smith

September 27, 1928 - July 11, 2020