Sammye Flanigan Smith

Mrs. Sammye Flanigan Smith of Little Rock, formerly of Corning, passed away at home in Little Rock on Wed. Feb. 13, 2013. She was 92. The daughter of Grover and Ollie Flanigan, Mrs. Smith was born on Aug. 2, 1920, at the Flanigan family home on a farm near Reyno. After graduating from Corning High School in 1939, she attended Draughon's Business College in St. Louis, Mo. On Oct. 25, 1941 she was married to her childhood sweetheart Howard B. Smith in St. Louis. Mr. Smith was born and reared in Datto. He preceded her in death in 1958. Having been a devoted stay-at-home wife and mother until her husband's death, Mrs. Smith then completed her husband's work for the next four years as Clay County Deputy Circuit Clerk, with offices at the Courthouse in Corning. She then worked for 21 years as cashier-clerk for Arkansas Missouri Power Company, later known as Entergy Corporation. She was a devoted member of the First Baptist Church of Corning, where she was a charter member of the Fidelis Sunday School Class. She held a number of offices in the Corning Business and Professional Women's Club, including the office of President. In 1977, she was selected as the B and PW "Woman of the Year". She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, and served as a volunteer at the Corning Hospital and the Corning Nursing Home. In 2006, Mrs. Smith moved to Little Rock to be closer to her three children. She lived at Pleasant Hills Retirement Senior Living, where she also volunteered as a Pleasant Hills Helper. She is survived by her daughter, Ruth Ann Smith of Hot Springs; two sons, James Howard Smith of Little Rock and Jerry (Brenda) Smith of Little Rock; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Howard B. Smith; parents, Grover and Ollie Flanigan; two brothers, Aubrey Flanigan and G.C. Flanigan Jr.; and four sisters, Pauline Gearhart, Glea Davis, Mabel Shaver, and Lorine Hunt. Visitation for Mrs. Smith will be from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 15, 2013, at the Ermert Funeral Home in Corning. Funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013 at the First Baptist Church in Corning. Burial will be in Corning Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church, 701 W. 3rd St., Corning 72422; St. Jude Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, Tenn. 38148-0142; or Arkansas Hospice, 14 Parkstone Circle, North Little Rock 72116.