Frances A. Smith

Fran Smith went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, January 13, 2022. Fran, as she was known to her family and friends, was born on June 14, 1925, in Woodruff, South Carolina. She was preceded in death by her father and mother, Charles and Carrie Lou Smith, and by her brother, J. Harold Smith, and her sisters, Mildred and Mary. She is survived by her nieces, Vicki Morgan Simpson, of Greenville, South Carolina, Martha Tiller of Charlotte, NC and nephew, Don Smith of Cosby, and by her dear friend of many years, Ms. Joanna Romine. Fran was a founding member of Memorial Baptist Church and spent her entire working life managing the business of the Radio Bible Hour organization. She and her brother J. Harold Smith were born on the same date, fifteen years apart, and he hired her in the 1940’s to manage the business of the radio ministry. She graduated from Draughons Business College in Knoxville in the 1940s. Over the years she lived in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Fort Smith, Arkansas, Dallas, Texas, and Orlando, Florida. In 1986 she relocated with the Radio Bible Hour when it moved to Newport, Tennessee. She loved the Lord, and devoted her life to the ministry of her brother, J. Harold. She was a careful manager, with a gift for details, and she oversaw many transitions in her career. She led the ministry as it grew, through the development of international broadcasting. She was instrumental in pioneering the first television broadcasts of the First Baptist Church in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 1953. She worked out the business arrangements for the development of XERF, a megawatt radio station in Del Rio, Texas, and across the border in Mexico. Fran and her good friend Joanna Romine supervised the first IBM computer installation at the ministry in the mid-1970’s. She saw the expansion of the ministry into the internet and television in the 1980’s and 1990’s. She retired in 2005, but never really left the ministry, serving as a board member and trusted advisor until the ministry closed in 2017. Fran loved sports. She was a great Dallas Cowboys fan (pre-Jerry Jones), having been a fan since the Cowboys’ founding, when she was living in Dallas. When she moved to Tennessee, she became a season ticket holder of the Lady Vols Basketball Team. She loved the fellowship of her church, and her family, and was a great cook. She was generous with her resources toward her church and those in need, and she exercised careful stewardship in her business dealings. Her wise counsel, wisdom and years of experience will be greatly missed by her family and friends, but we are grateful that her suffering and physical challenges are finished. We are still in awe of what she accomplished as a servant of the Lord. Her life truly brought glory to Jesus Christ. The family wishes to thank the skilled caregivers from Smoky Mountain Health Care and Hospice, her personal physician, Dr. Larry Mathers at Rural Medical Services, and her friend and heart doctor, Dr. Clint Doiron, and his assistant, Erik Dickinson, for their care for her as she finished her race. Fran’s life was one of service to Christ, excellence in her vocation, and a love of life and family. She leaves behind a legacy of achievement, loyalty, and hard work, and will continue to be an inspiration to all who knew and loved her. Graveside Service will be at 11:00 am, Friday, January 21, 2022 in Woodlawn Memorial Park, Greenville, South Carolina with Dr. Don Smith officiating. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Memorial Baptist Church, 221 West Broadway, Newport, TN 37821. Family and friends may sign the guest register online at www.manesfuneralhome.com. Arrangements by Manes Funeral Home.

Frances A. Smith

June 14, 1925 - January 13, 2022