Joanne Aileen Smith's Obituary
It is with immense sadness that we share the peaceful passing of Joanne A. Smith at 92 on April 27, 2026. She passed at home surrounded by her daughters and first grandchild.
Joanne was born April 21, 1934 in Broadview, Illinois, the daughter of Ruth Aileen (Blair) and Harold Lester Hampton. Joanne was the youngest of three, and her family soon moved to a second, floor corner walk-up in Oak Park, Illinois. She loved growing up in the city: riding the EL, oak lined streets, walking to the movies and to school at William Beye first through 8th grade. Her summers were spent swimming, fishing, and horseback riding at Wonder Lake with her family.
After her parents divorced, her father moved to St. Petersburg. She visited him the summer of 1950. Betsy Sommerkamp introduced John “Darlin” Smith to her on August 4, 1950. The three of them drove over Thrill Hill and had a flat tire. Joanne and John became inseparable and on September 11, 1950 she and John were married. Together they raised five daughters and a grandson, instilling in them the value of hard work, honesty, thriftiness, education and compassion. Much of Joanne’s time was spent supporting her children in their endeavors from teaching vacation Bible School, to becoming a Girl Scout leader, to volunteer Booster at her grandson’s baseball and football games. She sowed the seeds for the love of books and reading.
When her oldest child was heading into junior high school, 1964, Joanne earned her GED. Once her youngest was in school, she began working as a clerk at Shore Acres Elementary. She and Linda were the “office ladies”. Their division of labor was Joanne took the throw up cases and Linda took those involving blood.
Joanne was talented at crocheting and sewing. She made school clothes, Easter outfits and gorgeous wedding dresses for each of her daughters. One Easter she made matching polka dot dresses; said she saw spots for days. She crocheted intricate doilies. Once she crocheted all the animals and characters in a manger scene. In recent years she was proud of her orchids, and Santa and pelican collections. She became a Tampa Bay Rays fan and loved spoiling her grand-dog, Bella. Adventures with Ginny were also high on her list of activities.
Joanne was first a member of the First Baptist Church of Oak Park. In St. Petersburg she became a member of Norwood Baptist Church which she attended for several decades.
In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband, John, her siblings, Ted and Nancy, her daughter, Debby, and grandchildren Sky and Nathan. Surviving her are daughters, Carolyn Smith, Betsy Heard, Nancy Barbara, and Tori (Victoria) Geisler; grandchildren, Heather, Max, Brooklyn, Ricky, and Autumn; great grandchildren, Haley, Hannah, Baylee, Braelyn, and Barrett; and, great great grandchildren Jesslyn and Jaylee.
Joanne’s first and lasting love was John, married for 69 years. They are now “Together Again”. She will always be remembered in our hearts, our thoughts, and our memories. All the love she created is still here.
A service of remembrance will be held on Monday, June 1, 2026 at 1:30pm at the Bay Pines National Cemetery, 10000 Bay Pines Blvd, St. Petersburg, FL 33708. The service will be followed by a reception at 7900 – 17th St N, St. Petersburg, FL.
Those who wish to remember Joanne in a special way may make gifts in her memory to the Alzheimer’s Association-Florida Gulf Coast Chapter, 14010 Roosevelt Blvd, Clearwater, FL 33762 or go to https://www.alz.org/flgulfcoast.
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