Bertha P. Smoot

Bertha P. Smoot, 92, of Beebe, Arkansas, died Monday, January 5, 2015. She was born in Stuttgart, Arkansas December 11, 1922. With her family, she moved to Devalls Bluff, and finished high school in 1941. In 1942, she married Dr. Ben Smoot, who survives her. They had two daughters, Leonda Jane Greer and Georgia Ann Hannah. Bertha graduated from nursing school in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. After moving back to Arkansas, she worked in the nursing field at Baptist in Little Rock and for the Lonoke Health Dept. in Lonoke. She was the Director of Nursing at Rileys Oak Hill Manor in Little Rock. She was Nurse of the Year and received her award from President Bill Clinton. She retired from nursing in 1990. Bertha was an accomplished artist with her ceramics and was a hair dresser, operating a beauty shop in Beebe. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Beebe, having joined when she married Ben. They had recently celebrated their 73-year wedding anniversary. Bertha is survived by three grandsons, William H. "Bill" Greer Jr., John H. Greer and James "Jimmy" Drake Jr. She is also survived by 11 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren, all of who live in Beebe, and nieces and nephews. Funeral will be 2 p.m. Thursday, January 8, 2015, at Smith – Westbrook Funeral Home, Beebe, with burial in Mt. Carmel Cemetery. Arrangements by Smith – Westbrook Funeral Home. www.SmithFamilyCares.com.