Betty Belle Smith

Betty Ledbetter Smith August 3, 1924 - March 4, 2012 Long-time Waco resident, Betty Belle Ledbetter Smith, passed away peacefully in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, March 4, 2012, after an extended illness. Services will be 2:00 p.m., Saturday, March 10, at Central Christian Church with Pastor Richard Roland officiating. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery. Visitation will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 9, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Garden Room. Betty was born August 3, 1924, in Pyatt, Arkansas. Her father, Arthur Cort Ledbetter, was a boilermaker on the Katy Railroad, and her mother was Arkie Mary Whitlock Ledbetter. Betty attended North Waco Elementary, North Junior High and Waco High School, graduating in 1941. She was voted a "Baylor Beauty" during her tenure at Baylor University. She received a Bachelor degree in Business and Spanish and, in 1945, earned a Masters degree in Business Administration. While working at James Connally Air Force Base, she met her future husband, Lt. Col. Marshall L. Smith. They were married in 1950, and had two sons Pat, in 1952, and Mike, in 1953. Betty touched many lives throughout her teaching career at Baylor University and McLennan Community College, which spanned from 1960 to 2007. For five decades, Betty was a devoted member of Central Christian Church. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Marshall, who died in 1980; and sister, Willie Evalou Hiatt, who died in 2004. Betty is survived by son, Mike Smith and wife, Diane Helm Smith, and their son, Dylan, of Arlington, and Pat Smith and wife, Laurie Miller Smith, of Fresno, California, and their children, son, Zeus, son, Sol and his wife, Randi, daughter, Miranda and her husband, Danny, and daughter, Wilder. Betty also had four great granddaughters, Solstice, Luna, Daphne and Odessa; a great grandson on the way; her niece, Linda Hiatt Netherland; her "virtual" son of 50 years, Rodney Wright; and Catherine Little. Memorials may be made to Serenity House, 408 Hill Ct. Hurst, TX 76053. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our "Memorial Guestbook" at www.WilkirsonHatchBailey.com. Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey