Ouida Marie Daugherty Smith

Ouida Smith, born on March 18, 1940, was a fourth-generation native of Grand Prairie. Her parents are John Daugherty (deceased), a former Mayor of Grand Prairie, and Mrs. Ernesteen Mills (deceased). Ouida had one sister, Patricia Thompson (deceased). Ouida attended public school in Grand Prairie and graduated from Grand Prairie High School in 1958 where she was an honor student and member of the National Honor Society, head cheerleader, Miss Flame, and Miss Geep High. Ouida was chosen as the first Girl of the Year by the Grand Prairie Federation of Women’s Clubs. Ouida entered Texas Tech University in 1958, and before she had graduated in 1962, she had served as President of the Association of Women Students and President of Alpha Phi Sorority. A member of Phi Alpha Theta (history honorary) and named to the Dean’s list, Ouida was also selected for Tech Salutes and Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities. She received a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in History and a minor in English. Following graduation from Texas Tech, Ouida married her high school sweetheart, E. Carlyle Smith, Jr. When Carlyle graduated from Tech in 1963, they moved back to Grand Prairie where she taught American and Texas History at Jefferson Junior High and Carlyle began his practice of architecture. While teaching school, Ouida attended the University of North Texas, receiving a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology in 1967. She then resigned her teaching position and did psychological testing and wrote curriculum for the Grand Prairie Schools for several years as assistant to the Deputy Superintendent. Ouida enjoyed community service and over the years had been involved in many civic and cultural activities. She organized the Grand Prairie Branch of the American Heart Association, serving as Branch President for two years. Ouida served on the board of the Dallas County Heart Association and the board of the directors of the Grand Prairie Association of Retarded Children. Ouida was active in the Grand Prairie Community Concert Association and served as its secretary. A charter member of the Grand Prairie Branch of the American Association of University Women, Ouida served a term as the club’s vice president. During the twelve years that Carlyle served in the Texas Legislature (1974-1986), Ouida was active in the Legislative Ladies Club. Always interested in all things historical and current (family and friends called her a “news junkie”), Ouida was a life member of the Grand Prairie Historical Organization and a recipient of their prestigious Goodwin Award. Ouida also served as vice-chairman of the Dallas County Historical Commission and was a proud member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Ouida was an involved member of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church for over forty years and served as chairman of both St. Anne’s Guild and the Society of St. Francis and served on the school board of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. Her love of needlepoint led her to chair a needlepoint project for her church where she taught thirty women to needlepoint, and the group provided needlepointed cushions and accessories for the altar. After returning to Grand Prairie following the years of political intrigue in Austin, Carlyle resumed his full-time duties at Smith and Warder, his architectural firm. However, Ouida decided to do something different from education. She restored an old cottage style two story house that was next door to Smith and Warder that they had owned for years and opened a small gift shop and art gallery named The Wildflower. What a joy it was to her. She was in business for several years until taking care of her and Carlyle’s aging parents became her top priority. Ouida’s beloved husband of forty-one years died on June 29, 2003, of brain cancer. She resumed church and charity work and served as a board member of Brighter Tomorrows, a shelter for battered women and children, until the care of her mother required her full-time attention. Following the death of her mother, she took care of her sister, Pat, until her sister’s passing several months later. Ouida passed away at home peacefully in her sleep Tuesday morning, February 13, 2018. She is survived by her in-laws, Stephen Smith, his wife Alice Smith, and Stanley Smith along with her niece and nephews, Eric Smith, Stephanie Plake, Joshua Smith, Timothy Smith, and Jonathan Smith,

as well as several cousins and many friends.