Barbara "Babs" Hartung Smith

Barbara Hartung Smith (Babs) passed into the arms of her Lord on the 30th of September 2024, at the age of 92 in Houston, Texas. Babs was born on the 6th of November 1931, in Camden, Arkansas to Loura Holmes Hartung and George Hermann Hartung. At a young age, her family moved to Corpus Christi, Texas where she lived until she was 13 at which time her family moved again to Houston, Tx. There she attended Lanier Junior High, Lamar High School and later graduated from SMU in Dallas, Tx where she pledged Pi Beta Phi and was President of the Texas Beta chapter her senior year.

It was at SMU that she met the love of her life, Herbert E. “Ed” Smith, Jr. from Dallas. Babs and Ed were married on the 3rd of October 1953 in Houston, after which they honeymooned while awaiting orders that would begin Ed’s career in aviation with the USAF and ultimately the Manned Space Program with NASA in Houston. After stops including Lake Charles and Oklahoma City, they moved to Houston in 1963.

In Houston, Babs made a home supporting Ed’s career and their family of three children, Elizabeth, Scooter and Charlie. Whether entertaining friends, family, astronauts, scientists, the occasional KGB operative, serving in the Junior League, the Texas Children’s Hospital Library, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, or as a supportive mom for scouts, sports events and school musicals, Babs was always busy and engaged. Over the years, Babs also loved being a “mom” to many of her children’s friends and has carried and cherished those relationships throughout her life. She and Ed also hosted “infamous” New Year’s Eve parties, well into their 80’s (the River Oaks Patrol insisted they finally desist) and Babs’ poundcakes were a welcome addition to most any doorstep, table or occasion.

Since moving to Houston, Babs and Ed have been steadfast members of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church and have loved being a part of the membership for over 60 years where they have made many fast friends through various church activities, service projects, the Randy Smith Bible Study Class and their LIFT team, which have met regularly over the course of many years. When St. Luke’s opened its doors on Sunday mornings, it was a good bet Babs was already there.

In 1996, Babs began 27 years of volunteer service with the Pi Beta Phi Patient/Family Library at Texas Children’s Hospital. The hours she spent at TCH in the Family Library and the volunteers, staff and patients that she befriended during that time were a significant bright spot in her life and she often talked about the organization, the people and the blessing that TCH is to our community and the families it serves. Her time at TCH brought Babs great joy and fulfillment.

Babs is survived by her beloved husband, Ed of over 70 years; son George M. “Scooter” Smith and his wife, Clare, daughter Elizabeth Smith Curtis and her husband Carl, son Charles McGaha Smith and his wife, Amanda; grandsons Weston Edward Smith and his wife Abbie, and Christopher Ward Smith and his wife Leighton, great-grandson, Leon Ward Smith and Amanda’s sons Ethan Bryfogle and Grayson Bryfogle.

A memorial service is to be conducted at eleven o’clock in the morning on Saturday, the 5th of October, at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer Road in Houston, where Dr. Tom Pace, Senior Pastor, is to officiate.

Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception in the adjacent Fellowship Hall.

For those unable to attend the service in person, virtual attendance may be accessed by visiting Bab’s online memorial tribute at GeoHLewis.com and selecting the “join Livestream” icon in the service section. While there you may also share fond memories and words of comfort and condolence with her family by selecting the “Add a Memory” icon.

In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions may be directed to St. Luke’s United Methodist Church (https://stlukesmethodist.org/give) or the Pi Beta Phi library at Texas Children’s Hospital (https://www.texaschildrens.org/support/ways-to-give).