Ethel Mae Smith

Ethel Mae Smith was born July 20, 1938 in Wagoner, Oklahoma to Tommy and Mary Smith who preceded her in death. Ethel attended school in Austin, Texas. She met and married Robert Vann in 1955 and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma. To this union two children were born. She later married Carl Cain and moved back to Austin. They had two children.

While in Austin Ethel worked several years for the Internal Revenue Service before taking an early retirement. In 1975, she became a member of the Alpha Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Austin, TX. Shortly thereafter she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Eventually she made her way back to Texas and settled in Keene, Texas where she became a member of the Keene Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Ethel also attended the Emmanuel Seventh-Day Adventist church in Cleburne, TX. You could always find her serving in some capacity working in children's ministry or with senior citizens at the nursing home. She also volunteered for years at various churches and community food pantries. Ethel was passionate about helping people and would often gather clothing and food on her own to give to those in need. She was an avid reader. Although she wouldn't admit it, she really was a Bible scholar. She cherished worship time, studying the Bible and her sabbath school lessons.

Ethel received an Associate's Degree from Hill Junior College. During different times in her life, she also worked as a baker, a teacher's aide and a caregiver for the elderly. She enjoyed taking her grandchildren to Camp Meeting during the summer and having a huge vegetable garden. However, nothing was more important to her than her family and friends.

She is preceded in death by seven of her ten siblings: Lila Jaime, Macy Benson, Sedalia Burkhalter, Willie Smith, Lawrence Smith, Hugh Smith, and Charles Smith.

She leaves to mourn her passing four children: Carlotta Vann and Carla Vann both of Austin, TX, Tony Cain (Linda) of Hillsboro, TX and Valerie Cain of Fort Worth, TX; and close to her heart, Francesca Cain of Fort Worth, TX and Joseph Moise of La Porte, TX; two brothers, Abe Smith of Los Angeles, CA and Tommy Smith (Ruby) of Alexandria, VA; six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren; nieces, nephews, and a host of other relatives and friends.