Florence Jean Smading

Jean Smading, 92, of Covington Georgia, finished her earthly life on Friday, May 30 under the care of Hospice following a stroke. She had been a resident in Memory Care at Prema Assisted Living, where she was known for her artistic ability.

Jean was born in Helena, Montana and spent her growing up years there as the oldest of four children and with her large extended Serbian family. She had a happy childhood with many interesting stories she would one day share to the delight of her children and grandchildren about her life on the farm. She was a hard worker, and nothing was too hard for her. Her Serbian heritage was always very meaningful to her.

Jean married Donald G. Smading in 1953 and they began their life together in Montana, where Don was a teacher and coach. They had four children.

The family moved to Miami, Florida in 1967, where Don accepted a position with the University of Miami. Jean worked for Eastern Airlines for many years. During their Florida years, Don and Jean lived in Miami, Tallahassee, and Naples. Their lives were characterized by love for God, love for people, and being attentive parents for all school activities of their children. They loved life in Florida but returned to Montana frequently to be with family and friends.

Remarkable to Jean’s life was that she was a gifted artist, mainly of portraits. She did portraits for hundreds of people through the years, and her memory care apartment was filled with her art, giving her opportunity to show her “gallery” to those who came to see her. Her most common phrase the last two years in memory care has been “God’s got it.” Her faith was foundational in her life from her early 30s on.

Jean Smading was a remarkable grandmother of eleven. Her influence was strong for Christ, and with Don, traveled in order to have time with the grandchildren as they grew up. She and Don became part of a ministry called Roving Volunteers in Christ’s service (RVICS), a support ministry among fellow retirees in RVs. For several years, they did volunteer projects throughout North America and loved every minute of it. Their RV would find its way to their children’s homes quite often.

Jean is preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her sister Becky, brothers Tom and George, and her son, Dan. She is survived by her three daughters: Connie Musselman (Ron), Karen Cannon (Bill), and Kristi Devaney (Jim), eleven grandchildren, and twenty-four great grandchildren.

A private family celebration of Jean’s life will take place this summer in Georgia along with burial in Helena, Montana next to her beloved husband and son.