In this day and age, there are fewer and fewer worldly people roaming this Earth.  On March 8, 2023, with the passing of Linda Louise Smith, a great one was lost.  Linda began her journey of life in Great Bend, Kansas.  This is where her love of family, friends, and animals began and started to grow.  Born to Thomas L. and Elizebeth C. Lecture, and later joined by her brother, T. C. Lecture, Linda started off like almost everyone.  She enjoyed going to school, making friends, being involved in the Girl Scouts, and seeing what was out there.  For her, that meant horses.  Linda learned how to barrel race and liked it so much she would go to competitions.  Eventually, she also began competing for the title of Rodeo Queen and was honored to be crowned one a number of times.  These competitions and titles enabled her to travel and see parts of the Midwest.           After graduating from Great Bend High School, Linda attended Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri.  It was there that she met three of her best friends;  Jane Bridenstine, Gail Hinckle, and Bonnie Merrick .  They truly had a magical time together at Cottey.  After graduation they would get together from time to time and stayed in touch until her passing.  Most of us are lucky to have one or two best friends, Linda made and kept in touch with so many over the years.  If you ever met her, you quickly understood why.

Linda's adventure continued and took her to the University of Kansas in Lawrence – where many of her family members had attended and graduated from.  It was here that she met her husband to be, Norvel L. Smith.  As legend has it, an ouija board spelled out his first name one night when asked who she would marry.  How true this story is remains somewhat of a mystery, but what is known is they fell in love and got married.  As she got to know her in laws, Archie and Dolores Smith, Archie became rather impressed with the depth and breath of her knowledge – from types of wine to the merits of certain automobiles.  But then that is who she was – kind, personable, and one of the nicest people you would ever meet.

While pregnant with Travis, Linda earned a Bachelor's degree in Education at the University of Kansas.  After "Norv" graduated his first job took the family to Hartville, Ohio.   She brought her horse and 3 cats from Kansas.  It was here they were befriended by a Mennonite Minister and his wife who would buy, refinish, and sell antiques.  This is where Norv and Linda began their shared hobby of collecting antiques.  It quickly turned into a passion for both of them.  Norv next got transferred to Tennessee.   They found a nice house in Smyrna, Tennessee.

As Travis got older, a simple suggestion from Norv – "we should get a dog" – turned into another life long passion for Linda.  From Euripides, the faithful and always funny Doberman Pinscher, to the many Afghan Hounds that followed, Linda had found yet another passion.  She became members of the Murfreesboro Obedience Club and the Greater Murfreesboro Kennel Club.  She was Trophy Chairman for the Kennel Club for over 30 years.  She loved shopping for the trophies and making, then later in life, helping to design the stained glass prizes.  She was always training her dogs, showing them, or using them as subjects in her photography.  She loved every dog she ever had.  Showing them took her across the United States and to Canada.  As her world expanded, so did the number of friends.  Some have passed.  Some are still here and almost too many to list.  But know this, she loved spending time with each of you, talking with you on the phone, and even writing letters and emails.  Marie Davis, Jacque Delaney, and Cathy Rodgers, Linda loved you guys so much.

Linda just seemed to fit in anywhere.  She worked out faithfully at the St. Thomas Gym during the week, and attended Yoga workshops on Saturdays.  She always kept in touch with her friends from this part of her life too, such as Susan Hall, Missy Harpole, and Angel Smith.  She very much so cherished her good friend Angel Sisco, whom she met at her hair salon.  She just had so many friends.  This is a major part of why her life was so rich and full.

Of course, she always seemed to be expanding her horizons.  Her next adventure in life was the world of competition baking.  Even in this competitive world, she made many friends.  She also won many prizes, including some Best In Shows rosettes and, in 2010, the very first "baker of the year" prize to be offered at the Tennessee State Fair.  This landed her an appearance on News Channel 5's Talk of the Town.  None of it, ever went to her head.

Instead many of these passions became conversation pieces.  Norv can attest that he would take some of her baked goods to work and someone would want to know more.  While he may not have gotten every nuance of her passions and hobbies, he knew they made her stand out, even at Bridgestone/Firestone parties.  Much to his disbelief, and on more than one occasion, she became the center of attention because of her passions.  Her photography was so well regarded, he could hardly believe they were not only discussing it, but thinking about hiring her as a plant photographer.  Then there was the time a higher up that most were afraid to speak with, sought her out with some dog questions.  Norv could not believe it.  But again, this is why she was so special.

Travis knew this too when his friends referred to Linda as the "cool mom" because of how well she could relate.  How much she was in tune with life and the world, not to mention how much she loved animals.  While no obituary can truly do anyone justice, we hope this one tells you what a special and loved person Linda is and was.

On March 31, 2023, at Woodfin Funeral Chapel in Smyrna, Tennessee, we invite those who knew her and loved her to a celebration of her life between the hours of 3:30 and 7:30pm.  We look forward to hearing a story about how she touched your life.

In leu of flowers Linda would love for you to donate to one of the following charities that meant so much to her:

The Afghan Hound Club of America National Rescue: www.afghanhound.net

The Doberman Pinscher Club of America Rescue: https://dpca.org/product/rescue-donation/

The Aiken Equine Rescue: https://aikenequinerescue.org/

The Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (The NRDC): www.nrdcactionfund.org