Laura Evans Smith

1951 - 2025

Laura Evans Smith passed away on October 26, 2025, in Redding, California. She was born on October 31, 1951, in Wichita, Kansas, to Ferd Edward Evans Jr. and Donice Schwein Evans.

Known to many as Laurie, she graduated from Wichita Southeast High School in 1969 and earned a bachelor's degree in Family and Child Development from Kansas State University in 1973. A member of Kappa Alpha Theta like her mother, Laurie carried her faith and dedication into every chapter of her life.

In 1977, she moved to Oklahoma to serve as the women's leader for Insight Ministries. She married Scott William Smith in 1982, and together they led an Insight Ministries chapter at Purdue University before relocating to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1985.

Laurie's passion for education led her to earn a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from Oklahoma State University in 1982 and a second Master's degree in Library Media and Information Technology from Northeastern State University in 2004. She homeschooled her children and taught at Ahava Community School and Bread of Life Ministries homeschooling cooperative. In 2001, she became the teaching librarian at Mayo Demonstration Center in Tulsa Public Schools, where she served until 2014.

That year, Laurie and Scott moved to Cape Town, South Africa, to open a MASICORP Math Instruction Teaching Lab in Masiphumelele township. They returned to the U.S. in 2018 due to health concerns and settled in Redding, where Laurie completed two years at Bethel Ministry School and volunteered as a pastor for Bethel Online.

She is survived by her husband, Scott William Smith; children Nathan Edward Smith (Savannah McAnally), Hannah Margaret Smith (Benjamin Kaufman), and Evan William Smith; brother Evan A. Evans (Reilly Murphy-Evans); and sister Emily Evans Taylor (John Taylor).

Donations in Laurie's memory may be made to Hattie's House at https://www.hattieshouse.org.