Almeta Payne Smith

Almeta Payne Smith, 92, entered eternal rest on December 11, 2020.
She was the beloved wife of William Jackson Smith, who predeceased
her and with whom she shared 68 years of marriage. Mrs. Smith was
born in Mexico, Missouri on May 19, 1928. She was the daughter of
the late Oscar Porter Payne and Margaret Lorraine Irvin Payne, and
sister of the late Dorothy Payne Miller. Mrs. Smith is survived by
her children William Payne Smith, Linda Lorraine Smith Charles,
Sonya Elizabeth Smith Prear (Tyrone) and Jeffrey Eliot Smith (Judy), and
8 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and many
friends.

After graduating high school in Mexico, Mrs. Smith attended Lincoln University (Jefferson City, Missouri) where she met her husband. They began their family in St.
Louis, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas, before ultimately moving to
Connecticut in 1967. Mrs. Smith worked in early child development
and later with the elderly until her own retirement in 1992. A
lover of music (and in particular of hymns and jazz), Mrs. Smith was
a devoted parishioner of St. John's Episcopal Church in North Haven
CT for 52 years. A private memorial service will be scheduled once
the family can travel. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to
St. John's Episcopal Church (for the Memorial Gardens), 3 Trumbull
Place, North Haven, CT 06473, or to Lincoln University (in
memory of Almeta Payne Smith), 301 Young Hall, 820 Chestnut Street,
Jefferson City, MO 65101.

E. Franklin Griffiths Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc. of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania entrusted with her care.

Expressions of sympathy or a fond memory of Almeta can be made by visiting www.griffithsfuneralhomes.com