JOANNA R. SMITH

June 01, 2020

JOPLIN- Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, at Daniel Funeral Home in Lamar, for Joanna Rae (Foster) Smith, 84, who died Saturday, May 30, 2020, at her home in Joplin. Burial will be in Barton City Cemetery.

Contributions are suggested and made payable to the donor's choice in care of the funeral home.

Condolences may be shared at www.dfhlamar.com.

Survivors include her husband, Howard Smith; four sons, Jon Cross and wife Chris, Lamar, Mark Cross and wife Marilyn, Lamar, Tim Smith, Lahaina, Hawaii and Mike Smith and wife Beverly, Lamar; three daughters, Diana Enright and husband Robert, Lamar, Karen Cross and fiance Sam Eldridge, Lamar and Kim Smith, Lees Summit; 16 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren; her sister, Betty Holman, Dearborn Heights, Mich. and sister-in-law, Joyce Foster of Lakeland, Fla.

She was preceded in death by four brothers, John Leon Foster, Floyd Leo Foster, Fred Edward Foster and Richard Lee Foster and one sister, Imogene Irene Mills.

Mrs. Smith was born August 19, 1935 in Dade County. She was the youngest child of seven born to Grace (Head) Foster and James Claude Foster. She was raised in the Irwin area. She graduated from Lamar High School in May 1953. She married Duane Cross on October 9, 1953 and to this union four children were born, Jon Karlan Cross, Diana Marie Cross, Mark Lane Cross and Karen Sue Cross. They lived in the Milford area where they raised beef cattle and operated Cross Machinery and Salvage. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1977.

She worked as a receptionist for 7 1/2 years at Finley Engineering Company in Lamar. From 1985 to 1996, she was a contract turkey grower for Con Agra Poultry Company of Carthage. In 1987 she received two awards, one for "Best Tom Flock of the Year" and one for "The Best Tom Flock Grower of the Year".

On August 19, 1989, she married Howard Smith, and in 1997 they moved to the Sheldon area and continued to raise beef cattle.

Mrs. Smith and her husband were former members of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Lamar and had the blessing of helping to establish and be a part of building this church. She had been a member of the First Baptist Church of Lamar for the last several years.