Claire Jeanne Smeed

Claire Jeanne Smeed passed away peacefully on March 23, 2026 at the age of 98. She will be reunited in heaven with her loving family members who predeceased her: her husband, J.R. Smeed, of Bakersfield, CA; her parents, Myles Sigsbee and Chleo Pirkey Williams, of Texarkana, TX; her sisters, Jo Evelyn Williams, of Texarkana, TX; and Maurice Williams Graves, and her husband, Judge John Graves, of Camden, AR; her sister and brother-in-law, James and Helen Hahne, of Santa Barbara, CA; She is survived by her four nieces and their husbands: Cheryl and Johnny Wilson of Sherwood, AR; Pamela and Nick Pierce of Little Rock, AR; Dawn and Wade Green of Camden, AR; and Tina and Randy King of Horseshoe Bay, TX; and her nephew, Scott Hahne, and his partner, Janice Mollard, of Turlock, CA.

Claire was born in Texarkana, TX on March 13, 1928. She graduated from Texas Women's University in Denton, TX with a B.A. degree majoring in dance and minoring in English. She also earned a masters degree from TWU and went on to teach English at Duke University.

In the 1960's, she performed as an actress with a theatre group in Hollywood, CA.

Soon after, she met the love of her life, J.R. Smeed. They both earned their private pilot's licenses and purchased a plane. They enjoyed flying around the country for business and for pleasure. Claire worked in one of their businesses- Dealers Exchange, a national company with 17 offices in the U.S. and Canada, arranging trades of cars and trucks between dealerships. This was a very innovative business at the time. She was highlighted in the Wall Street Journal and Texas Automotive Magazine for her achievements as Vice President and General Manager. Claire strongly and enthusiastically supported her husband in every business endeavor for the endurance of their many years together. His happiness and success were very important to her. They loved spending time at their home in the Sand Canyon area of Tehachapi, an area they spent years developing, and they treasured their time in Canada, as well.