Mildred Ann Smith

God called home His faithful servant, Mildred Ann Rawdon Smith, on Wednesday, March 30, 2016, following a long illness. She was 96 years old.
Mildred Ann was born in Dallas, Texas on February 7, 1920 to Martha Ellen Smith and her husband. She was raised in Fort Worth, but spent much time in Mansfield, Texas with her grandparents, Jim and Stella Smith. She graduated from Poly High School in Fort Worth in 1937, and then, in 1941, from Texas Christian University with a BS in Education. At TCU, she met the love of her life, Charles Edwin Smith. They married in 1942 in Red Bank, NJ while Charles was briefly stopped there during WWII. They had two sons, Charles Edwin Smith II and Robert Allen Smith, born in Fort Worth.
Mildred Ann was a lifelong Fort Worth educator. She started her teaching career as an art teacher at Meadowbrook Junior High. As his art teacher, she influenced the renowned artist Ronald Thomason, and they were lifetime friends. She then became a reading specialist at Riverside Middle School. After the fall of Vietnam, the refugees that came to Fort Worth were placed in her class so that she could teach them English and reading skills. She is remembered fondly by the many students whose lives were enriched by her patience and her steady influence. During this time, she met Juan Duran, who became her third son, and whom she loved as her own.
As an adult, Mildred Ann indulged her passion for travel. She explored many parts of the world with her aunt, Mary Ann Brown. She contributed to the welfare of dozens of children through her charitable donations, particularly those in Mexico, in an effort to give them opportunities for education and to know the love of God. She and Mary traveled several times to Mexico to visit the orphanage and meet the children they supported. She was a member of the Arlington Women’s Club. She was the president of the United Methodist Women’s group at Meadowbrook UMC for several years. When she and her family moved to Arlington, they joined Epworth United Methodist Church, where she taught Sunday school. At the time of her death, she was a member at Covenant United Methodist Church.
The family is eternally grateful to Connie and Amelia, who cared for Mildred Ann during her illness, as well as Julia, Margaret, Pat and the loving staff of Lion Hospice, who helped her stay at home during all of this time.
Mildred Ann is survived by her sons, Charles Edwin Smith II and his wife, Terry, of Annetta, Texas, Dr. Robert Allen Smith and his wife, Ann, of Mansfield, Texas, and Juan Duran and wife Jan and children of Arlington, Texas. She has four granddaughters, Leah Smith Salisbury, Rachel Smith, Emily Duran Mason, and Stephanie Duran, as well as three great-grandchildren, Kelly Salisbury, Madison Propps and Lola Propps. She is also survived by her beloved cousin, Grace Johnston.