OBITUARY Barbara H Smith July 25, 1935 – December 21, 2018 Barbara Hobbs Smith July 25, 1935 – December 21, 2018 Barbara Hobbs Smith of Lakeway passed away on December 21, 2018 at her home in Lakeway, Texas, at the age of 83. She was born July 25, 1935, in Brookhaven, Mississippi. She was preceded in death by her parents, Vivian Packwood Hobbs and David M. Hobbs both of Tylertown, Mississippi.
She is survived by her husband of 64 years, WC Smith Jr. of Lakeway; her daughter Margie Smith Durham and husband, Michael of Spicewood; grandchildren, Christopher Durham and wife, Morgan of Fort Worth; great-granddaughter, Olivia Durham; sister, Margaret Hobbs Craig and nephew, James Craig III of Charlottesville, VA; niece, Ellen Cyr of San Francisco, CA. In Barbara’s younger years, she was the Queen of the US War Bonds festivities which was quite a celebration. A 1952 graduate of Tylertown High School where she was a majorette and played the flute in band and piano.
Also, she was awarded the Most Beautiful Girl of Tylertown High by Bing Crosby. A 1956 graduate of Louisiana State University majoring in Education. Barbara was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma chapter and was most recently recognized as a 65th year alumni at a Founder’s Day Ceremony in Austin.
Upon graduating LSU, Barbara with her husband, relocated to Vicksburg, Mississippi for a few years. Afterwards, she spent over 30 years, with WC, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Barbara was a teacher for a few years until Margie was born where she took time off for several years.
Upon returning to work, as the first female Benefits Plan Administrator for Exxon, she retired after 22 years. After retirement, she and WC lived for several years in Tylertown, Mississippi where they were recognized as the Mississippi Tree Farmer of the Year in 1986. Afterwards, they relocated to Buena Vista, Colorado which was a life-long dream to live in the mountains.
Barbara enjoyed snowmobiling, downhill & cross-country skiing, and mountain hiking on Colorado’s Fourteener Mountains. She was a member of the Buena Vista chapter of the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O) for many years. Also, was a member of the Noteables singing group and sang in the church choir.
As adventurous as she was, she hiked down the Grand Canyon at age 60. Barbara and WC relocated to Sierra Vista, Arizona where she continued her passion for singing with the Sierra Vista Community Choir, hiking, gardening, and tennis. Next, Barbara and WC moved to Central Texas in Lakeway and New Braunfels to be closer to family.
Barbara continued her singing passion with the Singalongs, Wildflowers and the Lakeway Church in Lakeway and the Pinnacle/Eden Hill Singers and the Sunshine Singers in New Braunfels. As Barbara moved throughout her life to desired locations to follow dreams, she was also very quick to make long lasting friendships of which she still had in her last days. As well, she always treasured her family from her sister to her great-grand daughter and everyone in between.
Music was a very important cornerstone in her life from singing at weddings, in community chorus’ and church. Her second excitement was supporting her Louisiana State University Tigers Football Team and the New Orleans Saints through good and bad; never fair-weather fan here. Extremely kind-hearted, generous, loving and spiritual, Barbara has found peace in heaven and selected her star so that we will see her every night in the sky.
We are so grateful that she is now singing with her angels as she always did. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, January 12th at 1:30pm at the Lakeway Church with a reception following. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the MPN Research Foundation that focuses on research for Polycythemia Vera, a rare blood cancer disease that Barbara had for 23 years.
Fond memories or expressions of sympathy may be left at www. cookwaldenchapelofthehills.com for the Smith family.
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