Barbara Ann Smith

Barbara Ann Smith, 76, of Lake Alfred, Florida, passed away peacefully after a 16 1/2 year, hard-fought battle against cancer. She is survived by her husband Ed Smith, children Scott Moore, Steve Moore (Melissa), Juli Hyde, Dana Dailey, Kristin Brown (Corey), and David Jung (Jackie), many grandchildren and great grandchildren, and enumerable friends whom she considered family.

Born and raised in Winter Haven, Florida to Ruth and Clifton Wiggins, Barbara was a 1959 graduate of Winter Haven High School. As a teenager, she was selected to represent the Girl Scouts of America at an international event in Australia. Later, she lived a life that took her all over the United States and beyond, destinations including South Carolina, Texas, Maryland, Arizona, Kansas, Japan, and South Korea. It was during her time overseas that she began her 26 year career in education. In 1992, life brought her back to Polk County, Florida, where she continued teaching. Barbara met her beloved husband while teaching at Stambaugh Middle School in Auburndale, Florida. She loved teaching and was forced to retire sooner than she wanted after she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2001. Even during retirement, and in the midst of cancer treatment, Barbara continued to touch the lives of children by volunteering at Caldwell Elementary School. She also volunteered at the Lake Alfred Chamber of Commerce.

Those who knew Barbara will remember her for many things, perhaps most of all, her love of people. Her friends will all attest to her affinity for conversation and how she rarely missed an opportunity to talk about her family to anyone who would listen. Her joy for these things was only surpassed by the joy she brought others. Barbara was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Winter Haven, Florida, and a member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, Chapter DP. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend to everyone she met. Most importantly, she loved Jesus and now gets to enjoy Him forever.

The family would like to sincerely thank all of Barbara’s friends who helped share the burden of her illness and all the medical care providers that tended to her so well—in particular, the staff of Good Shepherd Hospice in Auburndale, Florida, for keeping Barbara comfortable in her last days and for all the kind words and prayers for her family. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Barbara’s name to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. A memorial service will be held at 2:00pm on Friday, January 5, 2018, at the First Presbyterian Church of Winter Haven, Florida. Interment will be at Oak Grove Cemetery in Lake Alfred, Florida.