Eunice (Green) Smith

Eunice Golden Smith, age 100, passed away April 5, 2018. On March 26, 1918, Eunice was the first born to her parents Robert and Mary Green. She would later be followed by two sisters and four brothers. During this time she attended a small one room school house known at that time as Union Hall grade school where she walked miles to school every day and graduated with an eighth grade education.

Eunice was passionate about education, and was a bit head strong some might say. She left her parents home at a young age to go live with her grandparents to attend high school, which was considered a luxury at that time. She would later graduate and receive her diploma from the El Dorado Springs High School in 1936. She was the first of her family to attend college at Southwest Missouri State University.

In 1940 she married the love of her life, Roy Smith, and would become a teacher at Ararat School for three years. It was also during this time, in 1942, that Eunice would become a mother for the first time to Katheryn Smith.

Eunice left teaching and became a mother again in 1955 to Robert Smith. She went to work at the International Shoe Factory where she worked for 34 years before the factory closed its doors. She then went to work in the El Dorado Springs School Cafeteria where she retired after 14 years.

Eunice was an active member in the community. She was a member of the saddle club, the hospital auxiliary, a volunteer at the bingo hall, and was the member of the Eagle’s club where she was Mother Eagle of the Year in 2003, and Eagle of the Year twice, in 1994 and 2003.

Eunice loved to travel. If there was an opportunity to go somewhere, she would be the first to pack her bags, and never left any essentials behind. If you ever traveled with Eunice you knew to have extra room for all of her luggage.

She survived the great depression, saw man walk on the moon for the first time, heard about Pearl Harbor, read in the newspapers of Amelia Earhart’s flight, President Kennedy’s assassination, Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “I Have a Dream”, and the Cold War, and survived the Dust Bowl.

Eunice was always the first to pull a prank, or a joke. She always had a quick witted comeback if you gave her a hard time, and she was independent as the day is long. She was always surrounded by a lot of friends, and never really met a stranger. If you knew Eunice you instantly loved her. She had a way to make everyone feel welcome, and if you stopped by her house you could always expect homemade blackberry cobbler and a pot of coffee on.

We could all tell stories for years to come, but her free spirit, hard headedness, and quick wit will be dearly missed. She loved her family and treasured her friends.

Survivors include her two children, Kathryn Braden of Centralia and Robert Smith and wife, Debra, of Springfield; seven grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; numerous great-great-grandchildren; and many other relatives and friends.

Services were held on Sunday, April 8, in Bland-Hackleman Chapel. Rev. Brent Bland officiated.  Burial followed in El Dorado Springs City Cemetery under the direction of Bland-Hackleman Funeral Home.

Pallbearers were Jim Simrell, Danny Newman, Kenny Frank Hamilton, Lonnie Janes, Joe Shearrer and Jerald Leonard. Honorary pallbearers were Bud Reeves and Bob Coleman.

Memorial donations may be made to the Eagles Ladies Auxiliary and left at the funeral home.

Online condolences may be left at www.blandhackleman.com.