Obituary published on Legacy.com by McWhorter Funeral Home - Gilmer on Mar. 1, 2023.
Sonia L Smith of
Holly Lake Ranch, TX, born October 26, 1940, died on February 22, 2023. Her youngest son and daughter-in-law were at her side when she passed. She was 82 years old and an extremely proud grandparent.
Sonia was born to Jessie Curtis Holcomb and Marjorie K Carter in Titus County. She grew up and went to school in
Gilmer, TX, before earning her bachelor of science at Texas Women's University in
Denton, TX, in 1964. She also earned her teaching certificate and became a teacher in home economics.
After college, she married Jerry P Hill and moved to
Los Angeles, CA, in the late 1960s where they started a family and had two boys. In 1977 they moved to Singapore where both taught at Singapore American School from 1977-1980. In 1980 she returned to Texas to raise her two sons in Dallas where she worked for companies ranging from a seafood company, a French restaurant and a dietician's office. She worked hard to give her sons the best opportunities she could provide.
In 1993 she married Don R Smith and they soon moved to
Holly Lake Ranch, TX. Entering early retirement in her 50s, Sonia wanted to live near her younger sister Gay Nell Stokes and she made many new friends in the community. She and Don, now deceased, also loved to travel internationally and had many adventures together.
Sonia was a very intelligent and creative person who was also a fantastic cook. She had an impeccable sense of style and a real eye for color, which she later memorialized into many museum-worthy quilts. A volunteer at her local library, Sonia was a big fan of the Mystery genre as well as those found on British TV, which she liked to watch with her sister. She had a great sense of humor and a keen eye for detail, and could brighten any room she entered with her presence, personality and voice. Sonia loved her family deeply and is loved and missed by her family and friends.
Those left to cherish her memory are her sons, Garth Hill, and Eric Hill (Miranda); step-daughters, Leslie Riddle, and Donna Smith; brother, Carter Holcomb; sister, Gay Stokes (Steve); and grandchildren, Ellis Jackson, Olivia Hill, Graham Hill, Matthew Melton, and Heather Kabetzke.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Jessie and Marjorie Holcomb.
Family and friends are welcome to attend a burial service at Little Mound Cemetery on April 22, 2023, at 10 AM. A private memorial for family will be at Sonia's home at Holly Lake Ranch following the services.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to Little Mound Cemetery Association, The Sierra Club or your local PBS TV station. Arrangements are under the direction of McWhorter Funeral Home.
Please visit Sonia's online registration book at www.mcwhorterfh.com to leave a memory for the family.