Eva Dean Smith

Eva Dean Smith (Sandifer) November 22, 1933 – February 21, 2026 Eva Dean Smith (née Sandifer), age 92, passed peacefully on February 21, 2026. She was born at home on November 22, 1933, in Calfax Louisiana, during the depths of the Great Depression. Eva’s life was defined by resilience, devotion, and quiet strength. She was raised in the rural community of Dry Prong, Louisiana, where she learned the values of hard work, faith, and family that would guide her throughout her life. In her senior year of high school, Eva made a bold and courageous decision that reflected the independent spirit she carried within her—she left home to elope with the love of her life, Lawrence Joseph Smith. Together, they began their journey in New York, building a new life side by side. Eva and Lawrence shared 73 remarkable years of marriage—a testament to enduring love, commitment, and partnership. Through every season of life, Eva remained a devoted wife, steadfast companion, and the heart of her family. She carried herself with grace and humility, offering kindness freely and strength quietly to those around her. Nothing brought Eva greater joy than her family. She was a devoted and loving mother to her five children, whose lives were shaped by her steady guidance, sacrifice, and unconditional support. Her love multiplied through her 18 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren, by birth and by marriage, each cherished deeply. She followed their lives with pride and delight, celebrating every milestone, cherishing every visit, and offering prayers and encouragement without hesitation. Her home was a place of warmth and welcome, and her legacy lives on in the generations who carry forward her love, strength, and faith. Though she began her adult life far from Louisiana at just eighteen years old, Eva never left behind the people who shaped her earliest days. She carried a deep and abiding love for the family and friends she grew up with, and throughout her life she made many cherished trips home to reconnect, reminisce, and renew those bonds. Each visit was filled with stories, laughter, and the comfort of familiar faces and places. The ties to her roots remained strong, and she treasured the opportunity to return again and again, keeping those lifelong relationships close to her heart. Her life spanned extraordinary changes in the world, yet she remained rooted in the simple values she learned as a young girl in rural Louisiana: loyalty, perseverance, and love above all else. Eva’s legacy lives on in the family she cherished and the many lives she touched through her warmth, wisdom, and unwavering devotion. She will be deeply missed and forever remembered. Eva will be cremated and laid to rest at Bay Pines National Cemetery in St. Petersburg. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made in appreciation to the compassionate nurses and doctors who cared for her in her final days at Northside Hospital in St. Petersburg Florida. Survived by Husband Lawrence Joseph Smith Sr., Children Sherill McMahon (Kevin), Lawrence Smith Jr. (Patti), Jeffrey Smith (Susan), Stephen Smith (Kelly), Jennifer Soluri (Christopher), Grand Children: Chad Smith (Tasha), Jessica Kraft (Michael), Christopher Smith, Matthew Smith, Jason McMahon (Ariunna), Andrew McMahon, Callie Pruell (Michael), Dr. Elleanor Smith N.D., Stephen K. Smith, Jenna Dean Kiger (Davis), Jade Andersen, Kaiden Andersen, Jocelyn Porter (Brian), Kaylan Porter (Tori), Madeleine Porter, Adrienne Porter, Michael Soluri, and Nicholas Soluri. Great Grandchildren: Dillon, Tyler, John, Tobin, Asher, Wesley, Luke, Liam, PJ, Welles, Sammy, McKenna, Carter, Nolan, Harris, Easton, Josie, Sandra, Collin, and Saruul. Also Survived by Sisters Glenda Newton, Lytle Jackson (Dolan), Barbara Fralick (Bobby), Ann Whitehead (Gene) and sister-in-law, Carrie Sandifer. Eva was preceded in death by her parents, Matthew Sandifer, Clouttie Ivy Sandifer Gaspard; brothers, Leslie Sandifer, James Sandifer; sister, Alice Bell; brother-in-law, Mark Newton and great grandson Garren Smith.

Eva Dean Smith

November 22, 1933 - February 21, 2026