Obituary of Jean Smith

Jean Ann Weist Smith was a voracious reader and a smart woman. "She was a wonderful mother. She was devoted to us going to church and devoted to Jesus and Mary," daughter Deborah Reinzan of Florence said. Smith, 70, Florence, died Feb. 21 at Hospice of Northern Kentucky in Fort Thomas. Reinzan said her mother loved to cook and play trivia games, Monopoly, Life and Yahtzee. She even played a computer game with Reinzan called Super Text Twist, a word scramble game. Reinzan resided close to her mother and they would call each other every morning and play the game. Reinzan was on her computer; Smith on her laptop. "We would be talking while we were playing the game at the same time," Reinzan said. Smith wrote poems, Reinzan said, adding her mother also read all of the time. "Boone County library can tell you that. She'd check out like 10 books a week and I'd return them and she'd have every single one of them read," Reinzan said. Not only did Smith borrow books from the library, she also bought them. "She was very intelligent," Reinzan said. That was evident several weeks ago at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South in Edgewood where Smith was hospitalized. A priest, who taught Smith the Catechism of the Catholic Church decades ago, was making his rounds. Smith recognized the priest. Smith was instrumental in starting the Legion of Mary at St. Paul Church in Florence. She was a homemaker but before she married Reinzan's stepfather she worked for the Internal Revenue Service and at a different time, she worked at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Wilder. Survivors include daughter Donna Herzog of Independence and Darlene Smith of Cincinnati, son Daniel Smith of Erlanger and stepsons Buddy Smith of Florence and Terry Smith of Petersburg. Also surviving were six grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Smith was preceded in death by her husband, William Smith, in September 2007. Visitation was Feb. 25 at St. Cecilia Church in Independence. Funeral Mass was Feb. 25 at the church. Internment was in St. Cecilia Cemetery. Memorials can be sent to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 332 N. Lauderdale, Memphis, TN 38105 or Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, P.O. Box 1947, Quantico, VA 22134.