Mary Fran Smith

1934 - 2021

Mary Fran (Poe) Smith was born in Springfield, Missouri, and she grew up in Mountain Grove, Missouri, about 60 miles away. She grew up in a loving household with Daddy as a banker, her mother as a doting wife and mother, and Grandma Dan next door. They were faithful members of the Methodist church. Mary Fran and her brother, Jerry B, were very close and played lots of games every evening with Mother as Daddy read the paper. She grew up excelling in academics and band. She played the clarinet and oboe and was the drum major in high school. She spent a summer in Cuba doing missionary work.

Mary Fran went to KU (Rock Chalk Jayhawks!) for her undergraduate and master's degrees in linguistic studies, specifically bilingual education. Mary Fran taught Spanish/English bilingual education from preschool to college. While she was teaching at Pittsburgh State college in Kansas, a young man was home from the Korean war attending her class on a GI Bill. Several years later, she would marry that man, Max!

Mary Fran and Max spent many years exploring Arizona and Mexico in their Volkswagen van. After eight years, their daughter Anne was born. Shortly after that, they moved to deep South Texas. Their love of birds and authentic cultures attracted them to South Texas.

There were so many bird adventures every weekend! The three of them traveled all over Mexico, the southeastern United States, and made yearly summer visits to both of their mothers in Kansas and Missouri. While they were in South Texas, they helped found the Audubon society there. Max and Mary Fran also made several genealogy trips to Pennsylvania and Virginia.

After Max died, Mary Fran retired from 41 years of teaching. She became very busy volunteering with the Audubon society, historical society, and Grace Episcopal church! A year after their daughter, son-in-law, and her two grandchildren moved to Port Angeles, Mary Fran followed suit. She sold the big house in Texas and moved into a cottage at Parkview Villas, where she lived happily for 14 years.

During that time, Mary Fran became very involved in the senior center chair exercise class and St Andrew's Episcopal Church including the knitting group, fellowship, and St Agnes guild. All of these groups got weekly platters of goodies! Mary Fran loved celebrating people's birthdays and had detailed notes of who liked what kind of cupcake she made.

Mary Fran was always there to greet her two grandchildren as they got off the school bus, waiting for their parents, who were teachers, to pick them up. There were always cupcakes, cookies, and hot chocolate at "Bue's" house. Her grandchildren were the light of her life.

After an accident in recovery from surgery, Mary Fran could not walk, so she moved to Sequim Health and Rehabilitation. She was there for two and a half years before COVID took her from us, despite being vaccinated and boosted.

When you see a Volkswagen van, have a cupcake or see a Steller's Jay, think of Mary Fran!

Mary Fran's love for her family, grandchildren, friends, and church was genuine and unmistakable. Her quiet, steadfast faith kept her positive through many difficult times in her life. Mary Fran is survived by her daughter Anne, son-in-law John Mitchell, and grandchildren Matthew and Morgan Mitchell. Her brother, Jerry B. Poe, and her nieces Cheryl and Jennifer also survive her.

Mary Fran and her family would love for you to have a cupcake and share happy memories after her memorial service at St Andrew's Episcopal Church on Saturday, May 14th, 2022, at 1:00 in the afternoon.

Memorial contributions can be made to St. Andrews Episcopal Church.