Frances Lucretia Smith

Frances Lucretia Stokes Smith ran into the arms of Jesus at Lighthouse Memory Care on December 12, 2025 at the age of 93 following a lengthy challenge with dementia and physical decline. "Ms. Fran", as she was affectionately known, dearly loved her family and extended family and was "once a mom, always a mom". She was God's child, a peacemaker, honest, driven, devoted, a woman of integrity, a "super mom" in a world where that is rarely seen. This was the motivation for her life. She was born October 17, 1932, the daughter of Frank Bryant Stokes and Genie Sirmons Stokes in Early County, GA. She graduated from Early County Union High School in 1949. Frances was an independent woman and worked as a telephone operator for Southern Bell when she met Kenneth Elford Smith, the only love of her life, via a blind date. They married in June, 1956 and remained married for 64 years until Kenneth's death in 2020. Initially they lived in Kenneth's hometown of Woodruff, SC where their first two children, Jeanne and Dan, were born. Then they relocated to Burlington, NC where their third child, Anna, was born. Frances raised the children and worked in finance for Sylvania Lighting after moving to Reidsville, NC. With a job change in 1969 for Kenneth, the family moved to Pascagoula, MS. They joined First Baptist Church of Pascagoula then and she remained an active member until her health no longer allowed it. She and Kenneth were involved in the early development of the church's television ministry and she made sure her children were raised in the church. In 1972, she and Kenneth would begin to develop several local businesses including: JAD, Inc. (an electrical and general contracting company named after the initials of their three children), NCN (National Cable Network), Data Paging, Gulf Coast Engineering, and the award-winning WKFK-TV7 (Jackson County, Mississippi's first local television station, the call letters representing initials for Kenneth, Frances and Kids). Frances attended Jackson County Community College in the 1970s to enhance her business management abilities. Frances is preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Genie Stokes of Blakely, GA; siblings and spouses: Virginia (Lindsey) Boyd of Plant City, FL, Rossie (Marvin) Beverly of Robertsdale, AL, Eleanor Fletcher of Albany, GA, Alma (Bill) Cleghorn of Montgomery, AL, Dorothy (Earl) Duncan of Cairo, GA, Mary Odum of Blakely, GA and Holt Stokes of Yukon, OK. She is also preceded in death by her husband's parents, Charles and Jessie Smith of Woodruff, SC and her brother-in-law, Dr. Charles Dart of Ventura, CA. She will be dearly missed and is survived by her children: Jeanne (Sonny) Weeks of Pascagoula, MS, Dan (Deonda) Smith of Ocean Springs, MS, and Anna (Joe) Prestridge of Gulf Breeze, FL; her grandchildren: Jason (Jodie) Weeks of Friendswood, TX, Josh (Amber) Weeks of Vass, NC, Errick (Kayla) Smith of Horn Lake, MS, Alston Smith of Atlanta, GA, and Ian Prestridge of Homewood, CA; her great grandchildren: John Paul, Eli and Sammy Weeks of Vass, NC and Rhett and Drew Smith of Horn Lake, MS along with her family on Kenneth's side: Milton (Vicki Rae) Smith of Woodruff, SC and Catherine Dart of Charlottesville, VA, Rene Collum of Gilbert, SC, Bob Fletcher of Albany, GA, Pete Odum of Blakely, GA and Delana Stokes of Yukon, OK. She is survived by a special "traveling buddy" niece, Carolyn Beverly of Robertsdale, AL and other devoted nieces and nephews, in laws and longtime friends. Special thanks for caring for "Ms. Fran" during her "work/raising the family years" to Katherine Lott, Mobile, AL and specifically during the last year of her life to Carnel Mosley and Doris Hill, private sitters and during her last days to the staff of Lighthouse Memory Care, Ocean Springs, MS and Notre Dame Hospice of MS. Instead of flowers, the family requests memorials to First Baptist Church, 902 Live Oak Avenue, Pascagoula, MS 39567 or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. Visitation at 10 am and services at 11 am will be held Monday, December 22, 2025 at Holder Wells Funeral Home Main Street Chapel with Rev. Dennis Ray Smith of Ocean Springs, MS officiating. Pall bearers will be her son, sons-in-law, and grandsons. Graveside will be officiated by her son-in-law, Pastor Joe Prestridge. She will be buried beside Kenneth at Macphelah Cemetery, Pascagoula, MS.

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Frances Lucretia Smith

October 17, 1932 - December 12, 2025