MENTONE — Barbara Jean Smith, 87, Davie, Fla., formerly of Mentone, died Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, at Covenant Village, Plantation, Fla.
Barbara was born Dec. 25, 1929, the daughter of Charles N. Cooper and Ethel Gaskill Cooper in Tippecanoe. She graduated from Tippecanoe High School in 1948. As a teenager she worked with her parents, who owned and operated The Telephone Company in Tippecanoe.
Barbara married on Oct. 21, 1950, in Mentone, to Robert C. Smith, who preceded on Oct. 25, 2013.
She worked at Hart Schaffner Marx in Rochester before coming to work with her husband at Smith Bros. Diesel. They also proudly owned and operated the Arctic Cat dealership from 1969 to 1978. They retired in 2000, spending winters in Hollywood Beach, Fla., and moved to Davie, Fla., in 2011.
Barbara was a member of American Legion Auxiliary, Mentone Book Club, Moose Lodge and several snowmobile clubs.
Survivors include a daughter, Sara Jo Smith Murcia, and her husband, J. Salvador Murcia, Davie; grandson Noel Murcia and wife Crystal; great-granddaughter Isabel and great-grandson Gabe, Clayton N.C.; granddaughter Sally Murcia Whyte, husband Max and great-grandson Spencer, Davie; and granddaughter Elizabeth Murcia Lynch and husband William, Brunswick Md.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Robert; and a childhood brother, Lynn.
The service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, with visitation from 12:30 p.m. until the service at King Memorial Home, 101 N. Tucker St., Mentone. Pastor Jason Rice will officiate. Burial will be in Mentone Cemetery.
Visitation also is from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, at the funeral home.
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