Sonia H Smith

SONIA BARNITA HENNINGER SMITH, 81, of Little Rock, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, April 29, 2022, after a six year battle with dementia, surrounded by her loved ones and the music of John Denver. She was born in Tacoma, Wash., on July 22, 1940. She was the daughter of the late Celotus and Grace (Nina) Henninger of Hot Springs, Ark. She was preceeded in death by her parents; an older sister, Gloria Cornelius; a younger brother, Charles Henninger, who died in childbirth; and a son-in-law, Thruston Stewart Doan. She was so proud of the fact that she shared her birthday with jeopardy host Alex Trebek. She is survived by her husband of 61 years, 4 months, Charles E. Smith, Jr.; daughters, Leslie Smith Doan and Lori Canon of Little Rock, Ark.; her son, Chuck Smith and his wife, Cyndi Stovall, of Arvada, Colo.; and seven wonderful granddaughters: Lyndsey Rogers and her husband, Aron Rogers, of Sheridan, Ark., Lacey Canon of Conway, Ark., Lauren Doan of Chicago, Illinois, Sara Doan of Jonesboro, Ark., Maggie Smith, Lucy Smith, and Abby Smith of Arvada, Colo.; and five wonderful great grandchildren: Bella Canon of Conway, Ark., Jackson, Dawson, Hudson, and Emmerson Rogers of Sheridan, Ark.; her sisters, Luella Borsics of Dallas, Texas, and Sandra Pedersen of Death Valley, Calif.; and a host of nieces and nephews and grand-nieces and grand-nephews. Her father was career U.S. Army and she had great memories of living in Germany and Hawaii and the overseas travel by ship. After Sonia's dad retired from the Army, the family moved to Hot Springs, where she attended Jones Elementary School and Hot Springs Jr High. She graduated from Hot Springs High School in 1959, and that fall, enrolled at Southern State College (SAU) in Magnolia. Ark. She entered and won the title of Miss Southern State in 1960, and competed in the Miss Arkansas pageant in Hot Springs that summer. She later enrolled at UALR and while in her fifties, sometimes attending classes with her own son, Chuck. On May 15, 1991, She graduated from UALR with with a degree in Liberal Arts. Starting with Lyndsey, Sonia was known affectionally as Nana. She excelled in all kinds of art from watercolor to acrylic to pottery. She was a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, 4-H leader, Girl Scout leader, craft designer, sister, aunt, and friend. A private family gathering to honor both Sonia and her sister-in-law, Lois Jean Morrow, who passed away on January 30, 2022, will be held on Saturday, May 28, 2022. Later, on Saturday, June 25, 2022, a drop-in memorial for Sonia will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. at St. John Missionary Baptist Church, located at 1920 East 6th St. in Little Rock, Ark., 72202. This is the church where she and Charles were married on December 30, 1960. After the memorial, the group will travel to Martin Cemetery, where Sonia's ashes will be buried in a plot that will eventually be shared with Charles. For the memorial on June 25, 2022, most people say "in lieu" of flowers but we would like to have a sea of flowers for her. If you can attend, if you have a garden of flowers, we would love it if you brought some. Sonia loved flowers, all kinds, If you want to send flowers, please call Lori at 501-486-6596 so we can arrange where and when to send them for display at the memorial. After the memorial, all flowers will be taken to Martin Cemetery. Cremation Services of Arkansas (501)313-5431, www.cremationservicesofarkansas.com. She is already being missed.