Tasha Marie "Ricketts" Smith

Tasha was born on August 22, 1975 in South Bend, Indiana. After nearly 30 years of smoking, beginning when she was 12 years old, Tasha quit, cold turkey, on April 27, 2014, because she said she wanted to be around to watch her grandchildren grow up. Sadly, 11 years after she quit smoking, and successfully beating stage 3 colon cancer in 2022, Tasha was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer on December 17, 2025. After fighting with every bit of strength she had left for a little over a month, Tasha lost her battle against cancer, passing away peacefully, surrounded by her family and friends, on January 20, 2026.

On August 24, 2024, in the front yard of her childhood home, Tasha married the love of her life, her best friend and partner for 20 years, William "Billy" Smith. In front of all of their closest family and friends, they vowed to love each other through all of the hardships that life may bring. And despite the struggles that came, with Tasha's health problems and stubborn attitude, that's exactly what they did, until the very end, proving that true love still exists.

If you were to ask Tasha what her greatest treasures in life were, she would answer you the same way every time; her children and grandchildren. And even though she loved her children with every fiber of her being, nothing could compare to the love that she had for her grandchildren. From the moment she held her first grandchild in 2010, her life revolved around being the best grandma there could be. It didn't matter day or night, 5 minutes or 5 days away, if her grandchildren needed anything, she would find a way. Between sports events and just being at home with them, she was the happiest when they were around. And although she had a poker face that could bluff you out of your winning hand, she could never bluff the love that she had for her grandchildren. They were her entire life.

And if you couldn't find her at home, work, or with the grand babies, you could find Tasha with a pool stick in her hand, doing the one thing she loved, outside of being a grandma. It started about 25 years ago as just having fun with family, and turned into something much more, passion. She played in countless tournaments, went up against pool sharks, even won a trip to Las Vegas in 2009 when she and a partner won the Jack and Jill tournament for the St. Joseph county APA league. But in that entire time, she gained much more than just skill and trips, she gained friends and teammates that became family. Family that had her back and was by her side until the very end, and continue to show her love and support, by supporting her kids and husband, keeping her memory alive, even after death.

Tasha loved many people over her lifetime, and was loved by most of the people who knew her. And even though she will be missed by anyone who met her, she is finally getting the rest she desperately deserved. We will be celebrating Tasha's life and saying our final goodbyes on Friday, January 30, 2026, at Palmer's Funeral Home, located at 3718 S Michigan Street, South Bend, Indiana 46614 from 1 pm to 5 pm. After the viewing and service, she will be celebrated the best way possible with pool and games at Gina's Far East Lounge beginning at 7 pm. All are welcomed to join either or both to help her entire family, related and pool, celebrate her.

Tasha Marie Smith (Ricketts) is survived by her devoted husband, William "Billy" Smith; mother, Geannetta Dunn; children, Crystal (Tim) Baker, Catrina (Ray) Garn, Nani (Lucas Wolfe) Yzaguirre, Nathanial Szajko, and Conner "Chase" (Midnight) Hirsch; stepdaughter, Jamie "Star" (James) grandchildren, Natalia Longest, Mariah Longest, Lexii Wilken, Timothy Baker Jr, Audrey Garn, Princeton Chavez, Ramiro Chavez, and expected grandson Cyrus Hirsch; and siblings Tamika Williams, Tanya (Jose) Mireles, Travis Ricketts, Eddie Grudzinski, Justin (Maranda) Winski, Eddie Randolph, and Amber Ricketts Wiseley. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins from all over that she loved dearly.

Tasha is preceded in death by her father Edward Ricketts; grandmother Evelyn Neal; granddaughter Amirah Smith; aunt Phyllis Sult; and uncles Charles "Butch" Neal, Michael Ricketts, and Roger Bixler.