Cora Belle Cook Smith - Jonesboro

Cora Belle Cook Smith, 83, of Jonesboro, died at St. Bernard's Village in Jonesboro. She was a homemaker. Born Aug. 30, 1917, in Pine Bluff, she was one of seven children in the family of Frank Joseph and Cora Dickie Cook. She graduated from Pine Bluff High School and attended Monticello A&M College.

Mrs. Smith was preceded in death by her husband, Eugene B. Smith, Jr. They were married in 1944 and moved to Jonesboro in 1945 where Mr. Smith was affiliated with the Jonesboro Sun for 26 years. He then entered banking and was assistant to the president of Citizens Bank before moving to Little Rock with Union National Bank in 1970.

After Mr. Smith's death in 1982, Mrs. Smith returned to Jonesboro.

While in Jonesboro, Mrs. Smith was a member of the First Baptist Church and the Business Women's Sunday School Class. She was nursery coordinator for many years and served on various church committees. Mrs. Smith was a life member of the Jonesboro Junior Auxiliary; a charter member of the United Way, being the first lady member of that board; city and county chairman of Mother's March on Polio, serving as chairman of the 1954 field trials when the Salk vaccine inoculations were first given to all area school children; a charter and life member of the President's Council of Arkansas State University; a member of the Jonesboro Country Club ladies' golf association; and a member of Chapter AJ PEO Sisterhood. While in Little Rock, she was a member of CARTI, the Salvation Army Auxiliary, and the Pleasant Valley Country Club ladies' golf association. Moving to Leachville in 1989, Mrs. Smith became an associate member of the Leachville First United Methodist Church, was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of the Melody Theater renovation.

She is survived by a daughter, Lynda Edwards, and her husband, John, of Leachville; two grandchildren, Todd Smith Edwards, and his wife, Marti McClung Edwards, of Leachville and Brandi Edwards Hurst, and her husband, Bob, of Valley View; two great-grandchildren, Dax Hunter Hurst and Haddyn Nicole Hurst; a sister, Mildred Scott of Pine Bluff; and a brother, Joe Cook, of Waco, Texas.

She was preceded in death by her parents, four brothers, Charlie Cook, Leo Cook, Leonard Cook and John Ed Cook, all of Pine Bluff.

A graveside service was held at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Jonesboro Memorial Park Cemetery with Rev. Emil Williams officiating. Following the service, a celebration of the life of Cora Smith was held at St. Bernard's Village.

The family requests that anyone wishing to leave a lasting memorial consider the Eugene B. Smith, Jr., Scholarship Fund at Arkansas State University, the Salvation Army or St. Bernard's Village.