Mable Mildred Smith

Mable Mildred Smith died peacefully of congestive heart failure and pneumonia on 13 February 2019, just a few weeks short of her 98th birthday. Her funeral service will be held at the First Baptist Church, 2910 Main Street, Lemon Grove CA 91945 on 14 March 2019 at 2:00 PM, with a reception following.

Mable was born in Marthaville, Louisiana on 9 March 1921 to Cora Mae and Kelly Franklin Durr. She grew up on a small farm in a close-knit family with loving parents and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Her mother passed away when Mable was 14, leaving her to help raise her two younger brothers and tend the house and cook for her family. She married James Earl Johnson, Jr. in 1945 and gave birth to their daughter Judy. It was during this time that Mable established a very close, life-long relationship with her mother-in-law Eva Johnson, who was a second mother to her during the remainder of Eva’s life. After her divorce, Mable moved to San Diego, CA where she met and married John William Smith in 1950. They raised Judy, as well as two boys, John and Thomas. Mable worked as a waitress at several restaurants in San Diego, then settled in as a cook at the San Diego Zoo Golden Eagle Restaurant, where she worked for 25 years until her retirement. She loved to garden, raise different types plants, cook large meals for her family, and visit relatives in Louisiana. At the time of her death, Mable was the oldest living relative of her grandfather, William Rufus Durr.

Mable was a devout Christian who embodied the Biblical principle of the spiritual gift of mercy. Throughout her life, Mable cared for those in need, from women needing help with their newborn babies and families to those on their dying bed in need of care and comfort in their final days. People who needed help were drawn to her. Mable sacrificed her time, money, and emotional wellbeing to help others. She was an integral part in the raising and care of her grandchildren. She simply needed to be needed because it was at the core of who she was and how she showed her love to others.

She is survived by her brother Herman Prentice Durr (Pete), her sister-in-law Lillie Mae Durr (Coolidge), two living children, Judy Lynne Walls (Jeff) and Thomas Rodney Smith (Vicki), with her son John Kelly Smith (Debbie) having passed away in 2003 from cancer. She also leaves behind 7 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren, with another due soon. She was predeceased by her siblings Hilyard, Ernest, Ollie Mae, and Coolidge.

Mable’s departure leaves a hole in all our lives that cannot easily be filled.