|
Lorrie Eloise (Donaldson) Smith
Carrollton &
Farmers Branch
TXGenWeb |
Home > People >
S
> Lorrie Eloise (Donaldson) Smith
OBITUARY
Lorrie
E. Smith
October 2, 1953 - April 15, 2017
Lorrie Eloise Smith passed away peaceably to the Lord at 63 years old on
April 15, 2017 at 12:58 am at her home she shared with her husband,
David, in Plano, Texas. She was born October 2, 1953 in Carrollton,
Texas to Jesse and Pearl Donaldson.
Lorrie grew up in Carrollton, Texas with her brother, Bill, and sister,
Millicent. She loved flowers and worked in the floral industry for many
years until a bad back surgery side-lined her with chronic pain.
Lorrie was an ever-loving wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.
Lorrie’s love and care of other people was endless. She loved with all
her heart – her children, grandchildren, husband, her family, her
neighbors, pets – anyone who came through her front door. While her kids
were growing up, Lorrie created a home where all of her children’s
friends wanted hang out. They had minimal rules, plenty of snacks, and
an unconditional love and acceptance that many of the kids didn’t get
from the rest of the world. Her home was a safe haven for many
neighborhood kids, especially during their teenage years. Her home was a
warm place to stay, a hot meal to eat and ride to and from school every
day. Many lost or hurting kids have called her Mom, and if she
considered you one of hers, she would go to the ends of the earth for
you.
There was that certain something about her, something you can’t put in
words. Everybody loved her, and she could make people feel comfortable
with such. She was actually a shy person, but you would never know that
talking to her. You would think the people at the bank, the mailman, or
the checkout person at Gibson’s were part a part of her family. She just
had a way of making every person she came across feel like her very good
friend.
Lorrie loved all animals, all animals! She never met an animal that she
didn’t want adopt. If it had been up to her, her house would have been a
zoo – and it actually was at one point! Her kids grew up with all kinds
of pets…dogs, cats, birds, fish, rabbits, a ferret, and even a skunk
named Emily. Her kids knew that if they brought home a stray animal,
they would get to keep it. Her first husband, Tom, had a chimney sweep
business at one point, and he would bring home baby birds from the
chimneys and Lorrie would feed them round the clock, just like a momma
bird, until they were old enough to fly.
When Lorrie had a passion for something, she went all out. She never had
much money, but the things she did to make her kids’ and grandkids’
lives special were things money could never buy. Her cocoa was made on
the stove and took 30 minutes to make, but it was the best cocoa you’ve
ever had. She would make the most beautiful floral arrangements,
homecoming mums, and prom corsages. She would braid her daughter’s and
granddaughter’s hair every morning before school, taking as long as it
took to get it perfect. She wanted them to stand out from the sea of
kids wearing uniforms at school. Halloween costumes were never bought at
a store. She made them from hand and would be up all night the night
before finishing them so they were perfect…and the costumes would always
be the best on the block. Besides remembering any of the presents her
children and grandchildren got on birthdays…what they most remember are
the beautiful birthday cakes. She also made these herself and would
spend the whole night to finish decorating them. She was amazingly
creative and could make a Sesame Street Bert & Ernie or Winnie the Pooh
birthday cake worthy of any award.
Lorrie was also an avid music fan. While Fleetwood Mac had her heart,
she was a fan of almost any rock n roll band from the 60s and 70s. She
loved to go see live music, and brought her loved ones to as many
concerts as possible. Music brought a kind of spiritual healing for her,
especially after her operation left her in so much physical pain.
Lorrie loved flowers! All her life! Her love for flowers and people made
her the best flower delivery person in the world. She didn’t just design
and deliver flowers to people, she literally brought a piece of herself
to them, and she loved her job.
Seven years ago, she took her first vacation to Cozumel, Mexico with her
husband, David. She fell in love with the people, beautiful flowers
everywhere and the ocean. The Cozumelenos say that in the tropical
climate you can accidentally drop a seed on concrete and it will grow.
David swears that her chronic pain seemed to go away when they were
there and on the island. David and Lorrie went deep sea fishing every
year and she loved it! She also always caught a bigger fish than David!
They became good friends with the fishing boat captain, and his family
would pick them up at the airport every year and they would go to his
home. Lorrie loved bringing his wife and children little presents and
they treated David and Lorrie like family. David and Lorrie had planned
to retire there in two years and were planning on going this May to look
for property to buy.
As Lorrie got older, she suffered from more and more chronic pain and
was not able to do all the things she used to do. While it took a toll
on her body and spirit, her love never wavered. She still showed up on
Easter with her famous deviled eggs, Christmas with pizzelles and gifts
with hand painted wrapping paper, and was always there if you needed to
talk. She was the one that would randomly post things on your Facebook
about how awesome you are or just send an email to you saying how much
she loved you. The pain she endured during the last part of her life did
change her, but it didn’t change her love for her husband, kids,
grandkids and dear friends. She still found her own ways to show you
that unconditional Lorrie-Love.
Her love was infectious and she instilled this in all of her children,
grandchildren, and anyone she came across. One would learn a lesson in
unconditional love, not from her words but from her actions. She would
give her love every day in the most subtle ways. It wasn’t one thing she
did that made her special, it was all the little things she did. She had
a certain childlike innocence about her and made no apologies for who
she was. If you were lucky enough to have her in your life at any point,
you came away from that feeling like you were the most important person
in the world. The greatest gift she ever gave was her love, and everyone
who was lucky enough to know her was better for it.
Lorrie had accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior many years ago and we
are ensured by His Word that she is in a place much better than her
paradise of Cozumel, she is no longer is dealing with chronic pain, and
she is surrounded by God’s love and light.
Lorrie’s beautiful life will forever be cherished in the lives of her
husband, children, grandchildren and dear friends. She is preceded in
death by her parents and by her sister, Millicent Donaldson. Lorrie is
survived by her husband, David Smith, three children, Samara Brennan,
Lucas Turano & Austin Turan, her grand-children, Cassie McKinney, Chloe
Brennan, Conner Brennan, McKensie Brennan, Brenna Turano, extended
family & dear friends. |
Memorial/Celebration for Lorrie
4/29/17
The Aria Funeral Home Chapel
2pm
19310 Preston Rd
Dallas 75752 |
Notes:
|
|