Claudette Jester Smith

Obituary of Claudette Jester Smith

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A service celebrating the life of Mrs. Claudette Jester Smith, age 89, are scheduled for 11:00 AM Tuesday, December 23, 2025, at Golden Funeral Home with Bro. Joey Kennedy officiating. Interment will follow in the Beulah Baptist Church Cemetery in Fiske Union. Visitation will be held from 9 AM until 11 AM Tuesday morning prior to the service time.

Mrs. Claudette was born in Oak Grove, LA on July 10, 1936 to James Arthur Norris and Thelma Bonner Norris. She was their only child. She graduated from Fiske Union High School in Oak Grove and attended nursing school in Vicksburg, MS.

Mrs. Claudette married and had 3 children, David, Dane, and Donna. She loved being a mother and a homemaker and was also very dedicated to her mother. Where you saw one, you saw the other. When her father died, Mrs. Claudette had her mother live with her family until she passed away at age 83.

At a very young age, Mrs. Claudette gave her life to Christ and was a dedicated Christian the rest of her life. She made sure her children were raised in church and knew Christ also. Her relationship with God was her most important relationship.

Mrs. Claudette loved her family deeply. Her relationship with her 3 children was extremely close, and she always looked forward to the time she got to spend time with her two grandsons, Bonner and Evan. She was extremely proud of both of them and all they accomplished. They were a great source of joy to her. Mrs. Claudette loved to cook, travel, and shop, but mostly she loved playing the piano.

She was a gifted pianist who played strictly by ear. Many people compared her talent to that of Floyd Kramer. As a long standing member of Trinity Assembly of God in Bastrop, LA, she was very involved in the church's music ministry. For many years she played and traveled with the gospel group Living Water and traveled professionally with several other gospel groups later in life. She used her God-given talent to spread the word of God to others. Mrs. Claudette also began writing gospel songs which became very popular in the independent music industry. In 1999 she was awarded Songwriter of the Year by International Airplay for her dedication in the field of music and entertainment.

She was a kind, funny, and compassionate person. She lived and walked the life of a true Christian, and now, she is reunited with her husband, mother, and her two sons whom she so deeply missed. She will be greatly missed by her daughter, grandsons and their wives, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and friends.

Mrs. Claudette lived a long life and will be forever remembered and loved by many. Special thanks to her best friend of over 50 years, Bill Tharpe, as well as friends Jeraldine Rhodes and Patsy Billings. Know she loved you all dearly and how much you meant to her life.

Mrs. Smith is survived by her daughter, Donna Jester Bordelon, of Monroe, LA; two grandchildren, Evan Bordelon (Ashley Pruitt Bordelon) of Bastrop, LA and Bonner Bordelon (Bayli Waidelich Bordelon) of San Antonio, TX; three great-grandchildren, Lila Hughes and Graham Hughes, of Bastrop, LA and Logan Jester, of Bolton, TX.

Those preceding her in death are Robert "Robby" Smith (spouse); sons, David Jester and Dane Jester; parents James Arthur Norris and Thelma Bonner Norris; grandparents, Ernest Bonner and Della Bonner, as well as, numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Honoring the family as pallbearers are Evan Bordelon, Bonner Bordelon, Kenny Leggett, Ethan Nobles, Mike Nichols, and Graham Hughes. Honorary pallbearer is Bill Tharpe.