Oneta M.Smith

Oneta M. Smith, 88, of Greenville passed away December 17, 2012 at Briarcliff Health Center.  Services will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday at Coker-Mathews Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Royce Litchfield and Rev. Joyce Pattison officiating.  Interment will follow at Memoryland Memorial Park. Visitation will begin at 1:00 PM Saturday until service time at the funeral home.

Born February 7, 1924 in Clinton, Oneta was the daughter of  Pink and Nancy Duvall Jones.  She met William Smith while he was in the service and they married on August 14, 1943 in Fredrick, Oklahoma.  Her father caught a train and traveled there to give her hand in marriage.  Oneta worked at a small café there and saved up for their first car.

They had four children Nancy, Wanda, Diana and Kelly.  Kelly was born with down syndrome and was her special boy. 

Oneta dedicated her life giving the best possible care to Kelly.  She enrolled him in a special school at The Hunt County Opportunity Center during the daytime.  Oneta also worked there and took every opportunity she could to help with special needs children.  Her love and desire to care and work with these children has continued through the years.

She helped organize the “Special Friends Class” at Highland Terrace Baptist Church for special children. Oneta made sure every child felt loved and cared for, and she helped up until her health became where she was unable to attend.  Oneta was a member at Highland Terrace Baptist Church and also attended the First Pentecostal Church of God.

Many people have known Oneta and Kelly.  Their love for one another was what God created for a special child and an outstanding mother.

Her survivors include her daughters Wanda Williams and husband, Jimmie of Greenville and Diana Harris and husband, Lynn of Emory; son Kelly Smith of Greenville; 4 grandchildren; and 6 great-grandchildren.  She really loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  She felt blessed to be able to live to see them all. She had gone blind shortly after her last great-granddaughter was born.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 59 years; daughter Nancy Zoller of Baton Rouge who passed away with cancer this past April; granddaughter Wendy Harris; and brother Tony E. Jones of Boulder, Colorado who passed away this past August.

Pallbearers will be Jimmie Williams, Jason Williams, Erick Harris, Lynn Harris, Blake Mays and Jerry Bell.