Sally Rae Strope Smith , September 07, 1937 — November 05, 2018

Sally Rae Smith, 81, of Sugar Land, passed away on November 5, 2018. Sally began her life journey on September 7, 1937, in Flint, Michigan when she was born to Clarence and Mabel Strope. Her high school years were spent in Panama with her father, where she completed her education at Balboa High School.

At the age of 24, while working at General Motors, she met her husband, Leslie Smith, with whom she spent 18 years of marriage and had two children, Brenda and Jeff. During her marriage she was active in her church, with a passion for teaching the youth and becoming involved in her children’s activities at school. In 1982, she moved to Houston, Texas, where she worked as an administrative assistant at Methodist Hospital until her retirement.

In her later years, she lived with her daughter’s family in Sugar Land, Texas. Sally enjoyed living with her grandchildren and doing what she could to help around the house, whether it be folding laundry while watching college football or her beloved Astros (her cheers could often be heard from any room in the house) or cooking up a batch of her legendary fried chicken. She loved the arts, always up for a trip to Houston’s Museum District, and spent much of her time rewatching old films and telling anyone who would listen about the memories she associated with them.

Even in her later years, Sally was a devout woman, and spent time listening to Dr. Ed Young on the radio while reading her Bible with highlighter and pencil in hand. She loved to sit in the backyard with the dogs and take in the quiet of the day, and if you ever needed to get the mail, she was up and putting on her shoes before you could even grab the keys. Those that preceded Sally in death include her parents: Clarence C. Strope and Mabel Berry-Gladstone; and her brother: Gene Alvin Strope.

Left to treasure her memory are her children: Brenda Sue Brown and husband Chuck of Sugar Land, and Jeffrey Robert Smith and wife Debbie of Kapaa, Hawaii; sister: Sandra Tabit of Burton, Michigan; grandchildren: Ryan Christopher Weir Brown, and Lauren Christina Brown; and numerous other family members and friends. A private family memorial service will be held at a later date.

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