Smith, Barbara
SMITH, Barbara "Bobbi"
Barbara "Bobbi" Smith, age 89, of Atlanta, Georgia, died on Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. Beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she is survived by her children: Laura Leathers (Bill), Ellen Brown (Dick), and Sam Smith; grandchildren, Rose Ritchie and Matthew Leathers; and great-grandchildren, Nate Ritchie, Anna Ritchie, Jacob Leathers, Natalie Leathers, Caleb Ritchie, and Lincoln Leathers.
Bobbi was born in 1932 in Norfolk, Virginia, to Robert and Louisa Morgan. They moved to Atlanta in the late 1930's. She attended Bass High School and was voted "Most Intellectual" in her senior year. She started her secretarial career with the U.S. Navy. She became an outstanding secretary and went on to work for the IRS, rising to become secretary to the IRS Commissioner for the Southeast Region. Later in her career, she transferred to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), again working her way up. Her last job was as administrative assistant to the director of program management, National Center for Infectious Diseases, CDC, before retiring in 2000.
Bobbi never did a dishonest thing in her life and was a person of sterling integrity and conscientiousness. She was an avid reader and, before her illness, could knowledgeably discuss current events and many other topics. She loved chocolate candy, crossword puzzles and bluegrass music. Bobbi had a delightful sense of humor and loved to laugh. For years, she participated in a program organized by DeKalb County Schools to help children with reading difficulties. She also volunteered at a senior services center for several years and, for some time, was foster mother to a developmentally disabled child.
The family wishes to thank Maria Ribiero and other staff members at King's Bridge Retirement Community (KBRC) in Atlanta for their conscientious, good-hearted care of Bobbi in her last years.
A memorial service will be held later this year at KBRC. In lieu of flowers, the family requests consideration of a donation in Bobbi's memory to Oak Grove United Methodist Church in Decatur or to the Alzheimer's Association
I remember thee in this solemn hour, my dear mother.
I remember the days when thou didst dwell on earth,
and thy tender love watched over me like a guardian angel.
Thou hast gone from me, but the bond which unites our souls
can never be severed; thine image lives within my heart.
May the merciful Father reward thee for the faithfulness
and kindness thou hast ever shown me; may he lift up the light
of his countenance upon thee
and grant thee eternal peace.
