Geraldine Fletcher Smith

She sang. She made chicken spaghetti. She coaxed beauty and sustenance from the earth but knew when to stop watering and let the grass brown beneath the searing sun. She taught. She planted tree saplings by the tens of thousands for fun.

She fried an egg on the hood of an old pickup because her grandchildren wanted to test the power of theTexas heat. She walked. She collected fallen pecans. She played piano, and when arthritis eventually trapped the music inside her, she kept the piano dusted and tuned in case someone else felt called to play.

Most importantly, Geraldine Fletcher Smith loved and was loved in return. Gerry came into the world on September 17, 1932, in DeRidder, Louisiana and left it on December 25, 2025, in Flower Mound, Texas, after years of fighting Parkinson's disease with her trademark resilience and grace.

Gerry was never the loudest voice in the room, never one to put words to her discomfort, and yet, no matter the situation, the hardship, or the chaos, volume, or antics of her beloved family, she was always there with a lifted head, a small smile, (maybe an eye roll or two), and a spark in her eye that spoke to a life well lived. She was unflappable, with the kind of elegance that cannot be taught. For 93 years, Gerry cared for others, and she did her part to make the world a more joyful, more beautiful, and a kinder place.

Gerry was a daughter and older sister, a leader, earning the titles of President of her sorority Delta Theta Sigma, President of the international music fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota, Secretary of the Student Council, and voted "Miss Personality" while at Southwestern Louisiana Institute of Liberal and Technical Learning. She was a trailblazer, earning a master's in music education from the University of Texas at a time when most women were lucky to even attend college. She was adventurous, leaving her small corner of Louisiana to work for a non profit in Harlem, New York during one summer break from college.

Gerry was a wife, loving her high school sweetheart Warren Smith with everything she had for 71 years of marriage. She was the mother of Cindy, Mark, Russell, and Lisa, raising them to be curious, hardworking, spirited, and loving. She was a constant calm and kind presence even when it meant mothering while Warren was on active duty during his years in the U.S. Marine reserves and through multiple family moves to North Carolina, Louisiana, California, Virginia, and Texas.

As a music teacher, Gerry instilled a love of music in thousands of elementary school children in Blacksburg, Virginia and Cedar Hill, Texas, near her home of 50 years in Duncanville, Texas. She was a gardener, finding solace among the trees and in community with others who appreciated nature through her Garden Club. She was a landowner, taking great pride in working her and Warren's farm property in East Texas near Brushy Creek and partaking in many adventures on that land with their friends and family.

She was a loving grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of three, always ensuring that each child felt loved and seen. Gerry was the Christmas elf, literally bestowing gifts in the middle of the night to her sleeping grandkids and figuratively ensuring that the Christmas magic and traditions were upheld. There was always a puzzle to collectively obsess over, fresh batteries in the flashlights for games of Flashlight Tag, numbered pieces of paper ready for a White Elephant present exchange, and Christmas carol lyrics printed for us all to sing along to. She remembered everyone's favorite foods, ensuring there was always a vegetarian option available for Mark, Blue Bell cherry vanilla ice cream for son-in-law Ted, and never-ending pecan cookies and satsumas for the rest of us.

Ultimately, Gerry was the matriarch of our family, the center around which we gathered, the embodiment of home. We will miss her fiercely—and it will be impossible to hear the "five golden rings" part of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" song without hearing her soprano ringing in our minds—but we are grateful for the decades of happy memories we have with her, for the lessons she taught us, and for the example she set. She will live on in the whispering hush of the trees, the gentle melody of a piano, and in every expression of love we show for each other and others. In this way, we will keep her alive forever.

Geraldine Fletcher Smith was preceded in death by her parents, Louise Hammet Fletcher and Lewis Oliver Fletcher, sister Mary Belle Fletcher Blankenbaker, and brother Louis Wiley ("Dub") Fletcher. She is survived by her husband Warren Smith, four children Cindy Smith Park (Ted), Mark Smith (Ann), Russell Smith (Shari), and Lisa Smith Notter, sister in law Abbie Fletcher, brother in law Louis Blankenbaker, eight grandchildren Vanessa Truesdale (Logan), Matthew Park (Charmie), Stacey Congrove, Alex Smith (Ari), Hayley Notter, Kenneth Notter (Marie), Katie Smith, and Nathan Smith, and three great-grandchildren Charlie Baker, Kara Congrove, and Teddy Notter, in addition to many other beloved family members. The date and location of a small, casual memorial will be determined at a later date. Please share memories of Gerry here on this site and honor her memory with a gift to a local education, music, or nature charity in her name.