Willa Dean Smith

Funeral service for Willa Dean Smith, age 84, of Sulphur Bluff, Texas, will be held at 12:00 P.M. on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at First Church in Sulphur Springs, Texas. Interment will follow at Sulphur Bluff Cemetery. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at First Church. Mrs. Smith passed away at Rock Creek Nursing and Rehabilitation in Sulphur Springs, Texas, on Wednesday, August 26, 2026.

Born in Texarkana, AR, on April 24th, 1942, Mrs. Smith wore many hats throughout her life. Daughter, sister, wife, mother, and Nanny, she embraced each role fully with love and devotion. She had a servant's heart and spent her entire life caring for and pouring into the lives of others. She was the kind of person you could always count on to lend a helping hand, pray for you, or simply be there when you needed her. Her love and dedication extended beyond her family and into her church, where she was lovingly known as Sis. Smith. For more than 40 years, she faithfully served as a Sunday School teacher, teaching, encouraging, praying for, and loving generations of people. Her ministry was not simply something she did, it was an extension of who she was. She lived out her faith by serving others and showing Christ's love through her words and actions.

She is preceded in death by her loving husband of 64 years, Buddy Smith. Her parents, Willie Emfinger and Geraldine Emfinger Purnell; brothers, Mike and Ellis Emfinger; sisters, Joyce Martin, Janet and Margrette Emfinger.

She is survived by her son, Jeffrey Smith and wife Summer; daughter, Susan Swanson and husband David; six grandchildren, granddaughter Casey Huie and husband Daniel, Chelsey Fite and wife Sara, Sierra Ward and husband Ryan, grandson Aaron Swanson, Austin Smith, and Jordan Smith and wife Autumn. She leaves behind five great-grandchildren Cason, Weston, Mattalie, Lorabelle, and Willa Huie. Sisters Faye Schweitzer, June Villapiano, and Nancy Smith. Brothers Billy and Harry Emfinger.

While her family and friends mourn her passing, we also celebrate a life beautifully lived and faithfully given to others. Her chair may be empty, her voice may be quiet, and her presence may be deeply missed, but the love she gave will always remain in our hearts.