Barbara Ann Smith

Barbara Ann Helm Smith, a lifelong Texan, devoted wife, mother, and pioneering figure in barrel racing, passed away peacefully on January 3, 2026. She was born to Bernice and George Helm on August 5, 1933, near Azle in Parker County, Texas, and grew up in Newark, Texas.

Barbara graduated at just sixteen years old as a member of the first graduating class of Northwest High School in 1950. She later attended Brantley-Draughon Business College, Texas Christian University, and Dale Carnegie School. In March of 1953, she married her high school sweetheart, Jim Bob Smith. During the early years of their marriage, the couple lived in Corpus Christi while Jim served in the United States Navy, before settling in Fort Worth to build their life and family.

Barbara worked for many years as a secretary, including serving as secretary to a vice president at Texas Electric Service Company and later as secretary to the president of Ryon Saddle & Ranch Supply, where she worked from 1962 to 1977.

Barbara’s life was deeply intertwined with horses and the rodeo world. She began barrel racing in 1959 and quickly distinguished herself as a talented and determined competitor. Riding her beloved horse, Mambo, she learned to race while he ran “full out,” adapting with grit and courage. In 1960, she finished in the top fifteen of the Texas Barrel Racing Association (TBRA), an accomplishment she repeated for several years.

Barbara competed weekly through 1966 and remained actively involved behind the scenes for decades, serving as a director of TBRA and later as secretary of the TBRA Futurity. She was present for many historic milestones in the sport, including the first use of electric timers and the establishment of the first barrel racing futurity. She remained involved in rodeo, horse racing, and western activities until her retirement in 2022.

Barbara was known for her quiet strength, sharp mind, deep work ethic, and unwavering devotion to her family. She was a trailblazer in her sport, a mentor to others, and a woman who lived her life with purpose and grace.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Bernice Daisy Helm and George Guinn Helm; her Husband, Jim Bob Smith; and her Son, Gary Lee Smith.

She is survived by her brother Howard Lee Helm, her children Melissa Hussey (Mark Allen Hussey) and Tamara Robinson (Wayne ‘Mike’ Robinson), grandchildren William Austin Hussey (Kate Hussey) and Gary Lee Neal, great-grandchild Jameson Jay Hussey, and extended family members, as well as countless friends from the rodeo and western communities who will remember her legacy with admiration and gratitude.