Known as “Kat” to some she was born January 21, 1924 in Daingerfield, Texas to Clifton Lee Smith and Lillie Murl Leeves. During the Great Depression she moved 19 times in 17 years. She attended Port Neches Groves High School where she was a member of the National Honor Society, a softball player and a cheerleader, where she graduated Salutatorian in spring of 1941. After attending business school in Beaumont, she went to work for Texaco in Port Arthur just as WWII began. There she met Allen Traylor Smith, who she married in 1943. In 1945 they moved to El Paso where Al assumed a new position with Texaco.
In El Paso, Kathleen was employed by Phelps Dodge Copper, and although she left to work for others, she returned to work there until she retired, her last position as Manager of Chemical Sales. After Al died in 1995, she lived in El Paso until 2012 when she moved to Keller, Texas to live with her son Jim. In 2017 they moved to Colorado to be closer to her sons’ families.
Kathleen was preceded in death by a child, Mary Kathleen, her mother and father, her husband Al, her brother Clifton Leeves Smith and her sister Mary Beth Evans as well as three grandchildren, Eric and Brent Smith and Melinda Miller-Pfeufer. She is survived by her sister Shirley Stout of Beaumont, TX, son Allen Traylor Smith and his wife Renee (Sitzman) of Casper, Wyoming, son James Clifton Smith and his wife Linda Sue (Conn) of Fort Collins; grand-children Lorraine Kathleen Caron and her husband Taylor of Fort Collins, Kevin Smith, Keri Owen and her husband Rob of Casper, and Brenda Smith of Colorado; great-grandchildren Ava Smith, Natalie Owen, Morgan, Riley and Sierra Caron. Kathleen’s nieces and nephews include Steve Evans, Carol Parrymore, Michelle Couvillon, Rodney and Sharon Stout, Marilyn Scott, Carolyn Greene and Jeanette Roberts.
Kathleen was a golfer, bridge player and bird watcher. She was a member of Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church in El Paso. She will be deeply missed by many friends, neighbors and her family.
Services will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, July 29th at Allnutt Funeral Service Chapel, 650 W Drake Rd. in Fort Collins; another will be held this fall in the vicinity of Huntsville, Texas where she will be buried at Oakwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please donate in her name to Make-A-Wish Foundation at america.wish.org or A Wish with Wings at www.awww.org. May Kathleen rest in eternal peace with her God and Savior.
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