May Belle Thompson Smith

Mrs. May Belle Thompson Smith, 93, of 853 Trucker Drive, Ararat, VA, passed away Sunday night, September 18, 2011, at Friendship Health and Rehab Center in Roanoke, VA. Mrs. Smith was born February 26, 1918, in Patrick County, VA, one of ten children born to the late John Henry and Notie Alice Puckett Thompson. May Belle was reared on a family farm in Patrick County, VA, and graduated from Blue Ridge High School in 1934. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Radford College in 1940. Mrs. Smith taught school throughout Patrick County for 31 years. May Belle was a lover of the outdoors. She was an avid gardener, world traveler, and an athlete, who swam most of her life. She was devoted to her family and did extensive research into her family history. She printed for distribution genealogical records of four extended families. Mrs. Smith was a faithful member of The Fellowship Church in Ararat, VA. She is survived by two daughters and sons-in-law, Dale S. and Rick O'Dell and Drs. Jean A. Smith and Mike Berry, all of Roanoke, VA; four sons and five daughters-in-law, Ray H. and Carolyn Smith, Dan H. and Sylvia Smith, Eric E. and Sheila Smith, and Linda Payne Smith, all of Ararat, VA, and Ned E. and Yvonne Smith of Corpus Christi, TX; fifteen grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; a sister, Mildred Thompson Glenn of Winston-Salem; four brothers and two sisters-in-law, Benton and Mabel Thompson of Mount Airy, and Fred and Marie Thompson, Turner Thompson, and Claude Thompson, all of Ararat, VA; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Smith was preceded in death by her husband, Harden Moore Smith; a son, Lee Stephen Smith, Sr.; a sister, Mattie Thompson Young; and three brothers, Alvis Thompson, Lawrence Thompson, and Ralph Thompson. The funeral service will be held Thursday, September 22, 2011, at 11:00 AM at Moody Funeral Home Chapel in Mount Airy, with the Rev. Kelly Giese officiating. Burial will follow in the Smith Family Cemetery in Ararat, VA. The family will receive friends Wednesday from 7:00 until 9:00 PM at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Fellowship Church, P.O. Box 80, Ararat, VA 24053.