JoAnne Smith

JoAnne Smith was born in Blountsville, Alabama on August 21, 1956, to the parents of Erwin Smith and Annie Mae Smith. JoAnne had six brothers and two sisters. The family lived in Alabama until she was nine, then they moved to Paulding County, Georgia. Joanne went to Paulding County High School and worked part-time in Atlanta at Sewell Plastics.

It was there that she met her husband, Douglas (Doug) Smith. They married on June 15, 1974. A short time later, Doug got laid off from his job and was unemployed. Having no job or insurance and now his wife pregnant, Doug joined the United States Air Force. They were sent to Bossier City, Louisiana where they were stationed at Barksdale AFB. While living there, her first child was born, Wendy Jo Smith.

After his enlistment was up in the USAF, they moved to Georgia. JoAnne went to work at Walmart, and Doug got a job at Dobbins AFB as an aircraft technician. During this time, JoAnne had two more daughters, Cynthia (Cindy) Ann Smith and Jennifer Lynn Smith. The family lived and worked in Georgia for several years until Doug retired from Dobbins, and they moved to Alabama.

JoAnne had many health issues starting in her thirties. She had a tumor in her sternum, which had to be removed. It left her with nerve damage, which required her to take pain injections for the rest of her life. A few years later, a hole was discovered in her heart, and she had to have open heart surgery. Through it all, her faith was strong and she trusted in Gods hands.

All three daughters were married, and JoAnne was given six beautiful grandchildren: Trace, Alyssa, Josiah, Serenity, Elijah and Aydia. Her love for her grandchildren was unmeasured, and she loved watching each one grow through the years.

In 2016, it was discovered that she had stage four lung cancer, even though she had never smoked. She started chemotherapy treatments and had only one treatment before she succumbed to the cancer on April 24, 2016.