Nancy Nell Smith

Nancy Nell Revis Smith was born on September 22, 1931 to George W. and Dora Langdon Revis on Big Creek (Marcum,), Kentucky in Clay County. She has a brother, Ed (Carol) Revis of Clermont, Florida and a sister, Geneva White, who proceeded her in death. Nancy grew up on a farm that bordered the modern-day Daniel Boone National Forest where, as a 13-year-old, she often cooked meals for a dozen neighbors who came to cut tobacco. She could make anything from scratch. The only products her family didn’t make or grow on their farm was sugar, flour and molasses. The Sears catalog provided essential paper for the outhouse, a cistern for water and a coal stove for heat and cooking.

She boarded at the Oneida Baptist Institute where she met Herbert Smith, a slim, quiet guy who lived with his seven brothers and sisters on Flat Creek, the next holler over. Herbert could make staves for whiskey barrels, cut lumber, build anything or fix a motor. They celebrated 73 years of marriage on September 2, 2023. They had a son, Eddy Alfred Smith, who passed on June 7, 2022, after a short illness and a daughter, Dr. Patricia (Stephen) S. Terrell, a retired university administrator, who resides in Louisville. They also have a granddaughter, Dr. Ashley (Joe) Patrice French, university administrator, who resides in Lexington and two grandchildren, Lincoln and Isabella and a grandson, Ryan (Laura) Linneman, who resides in Cincinnati.

A member of Eastern Star, Nancy was an active and faithful Christian, preparing meals for church potlucks and volunteering for service projects for those in need. She was an “adopted” mother to a teenager who lived next door with her widowed father. But her greatest role and legacy was her devotion to her family.

Only when her kids were in high school did she pursue her passion; care giving, by serving at and later retiring from Christopher East Nursing Home as the Activities Director. She prided herself on introducing animal therapy, music and dance performances by individuals and groups and field trips, such as to the zoo, The Oaks and the State Fair.

A visitation will be held on Friday, May 3, 2024, from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM, with a funeral service in Nancy's honor beginning at 12:00 PM.