Elsie "Sue" Smith

Elsie “Sue” Mae Smith, 80, passed from this life into eternal rest into the arms of her Lord and Savior on the afternoon of March 1, 2023, at the Northwest Medical Center in Springdale, Arkansas.

She was born on November 4, 1942, to Archie and Evelyn (Belden) Haynes in Wilburton, Kansas. Her father worked as a sharecropper for Will Rogers when Sue was young. Sue grew up in the Nowata area and went to school in Talala.

Sue held two loves in her life with the first being her first husband and the father of her children, William “Lucky” Leon Rose. The couple married at an early age on March 31, 1958, and moved to the Tulsa area where the couple started a family and remained for many years. William and Sue and had three sons together: Tony, Lucky and Billy. The couple remained together until William’s passing in 1973. Sue later married Kenneth Dwane Smith on March 12, 1976, and the couple enjoyed several years together until Kenneth’s passing in 2002.

Sue worked as a homemaker for most of her life, raising her children and tending to the needs of her home. She enjoyed many things in life, but she especially enjoyed going to the Church of God Holiness, helping at church camps, and helping people. Sue devoted many years volunteering as a caregiver and doing tasks for people that could no longer get around or do things on their own. She also enjoyed family get togethers, spending time with her grandchildren, gardening, and decorating for the holidays.

Above all, Sue loved her family and enjoyed spending every spare moment she could with them. She will be missed by all who knew her.

Those left to cherish the memory of a wonderful woman include her son: Tony Rose and wife, Donna; her grandchildren: Anthony Rose, Audrey Rose Nelson, Brandon Rose, and Kelsey Rose; and her siblings: Geraldine Ross, Shirley Tucker, Peggy Fryman, Nancy Rabbitt, Bonnie Hice, and Betty DeVore.

Sue is preceded in death by her parents: Archie and Evelyn Haynes; her husbands: William “Lucky” Leon Rose and Kenneth Dwane Smith; her children: Lucky Lee Rose and Billy Dean Rose;her granddaughter: Crystal Rose; and her siblings: Wayne Haynes, Dean Haynes, James Haynes, Darlene Rush, Sharon Lang, Donnie Haynes, and Ronnie Haynes, which was Donnie’s twin that passed at birth.

Funeral services for Sue will be held on Monday, March 6, 2023, at 2:00 pm at the Benjamin Funeral Service Chapel with Pastor Bill Smith officiating. A visitation will be held on Sunday, March 5, 2023, from 2:00 pm until 6:00 pm at the Benjamin Funeral Service Chapel. Arrangements for Sue has been trusted to the loving staff of Benjamin Funeral Service in Nowata, OK. Online condolences may be left at www.honoringmemoriesnowata.com.