Jacqueline "Jackie" (Hardin) Smith

Jacqueline Hardin Smith
June 21, 1954 - September 21, 2024

On September 21, 2024, Jacqueline Hardin Smith (Jackie), 70 years of age, was invited by her God and Creator to leave her physical body behind and join Him in His home of perfect beauty and glory.  She accepted His invitation.  A gathering to celebrate her life will be held at First Baptist Church, Decatur, Texas, on October 26, 2024 at 1:00pm after an informal time for visitation with friends at 12:30pm.

On June 21, 1954, Helen Jean Bush Hardin of Elizabethtown, Kentucky and Max A. Hardin of Boone, North Carolina, welcomed their second daughter into the world at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.  They raised her with her older sister Jennifer Gay and her younger sister Jeanine in White Marsh, Maryland, and then in several places in Kentucky including Elizabethtown, Helen’s hometown.  The family was active in Southern Baptist churches wherever they lived.  In 1962, the family moved to Henderson, Kentucky where her father was an independent home builder and insurance salesman.  All three girls were excellent students.  Jackie particularly loved to read books.

It was not long before Jackie met Mrs. Lucy Rhoads through the church they attended, Immanuel Baptist Temple.  Mrs. Rhoads, an accomplished pianist and organist, began teaching Jackie the piano.  Under her disciplined instruction Jackie became an assistant teacher for beginning students.  She graduated from Henderson County High School in June 1972, where she was active in chorus and choir, Junior Achievement, and the Beta Club. That fall she began her studies to become a Medical Technologist (medical laboratory scientist) at Henderson Community College.  During the spring of 1973, the family began planning a move to a dryer climate due to Max’s failing health and on the advice of his doctors.  They selected Scottsdale, Arizona as the destination and began making plans to move during the summer.  After holding an auction to sell their household goods and furniture, the family, including Max’s father and bed-ridden mother, began a multiday journey across the country to their new home.  They traveled in a four-car caravan with a sign in the window of each car that said “HARDIN CARAVAN – ARIZONA BOUND” hoping other vehicles would allow them to stay together.  Jackie drove the third car, her 1969 Mercury Cougar – metal flake blue with a black vinyl top.  Donna Fargo’s “I’m the Happiest Girl in the Whole USA” was popular and playing on the radio that summer.  When it wasn’t playing Jackie was singing it.

After arriving in Scottsdale, the girls enrolled in Arizona State University (ASU) ready to start their next year of college studies.  They also formed a trio, singing for worship at their church, First Southern Baptist Scottsdale, and other churches in the area.  Max named them “The Triple J Trio.”  They were all active in the ASU Baptist Student Union (BSU).  Jackie continued to focus on becoming a Medical Technologist.  After finishing three years of classroom courses, she applied and was accepted for a twelve-month internship with Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix (currently Banner-University Medical Center).  After completing her internship in August 1976, ASU awarded her a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology Diploma with the honor of cum laude.

Jackie’s first introduction to Stanley Allen Smith (Stan) was in August 1973, when she and her sisters became involved in planning meetings for the ASU BSU.  Stan noticed her and knew she was someone he wanted to know.  Jackie saw Stan and knew he might be weird.  He was wearing beige double-knit shorts and sandals with socks.  Jackie still had a beau in Henderson.  At the end of the semester, they both knew they were interested in each other.  During Christmas break, Jackie went to Henderson to see friends and to find out about her relationship with the boy she left.  Stan headed to Santa Fe to work for his brother at Glorieta.  He bought a silver ring inlaid with turquoise and coral – just in case.  When both were back home, they met.  Stan asked if they had a future.  Jackie said yes.  He brought out the ring, she presented her left hand.  They both considered that was the moment they became engaged, even though the formal announcement was not until November 1974.

They were married on May 25, 1975.  Stan still had coursework to finish, and Jackie had a twelve-month internship to complete.  They both finished and graduated in August 1976.  In the meantime, Stan worked as a keypunch operator before going to work at Good Samaritan Hospital with a research group.  When Jackie graduated, she went to work at the same hospital as a Medical Technologist in the hospital laboratory.  During the summer of 1976 they both began to feel a pull towards campus ministry and a move to Fort Worth for Stan to attend seminary.  In January 1977 they moved to Fort Worth.  Jackie started work at Carter Blood Center as a blood bank technician and Stan started classes.  During the summer of 1977 God clarified the call as lay ministry not fulltime ministry.  Stan left seminary and went back to the IS/IT industry.  Jackie continued working until December when God blessed them with their first son, Nathaniel Reid, on December 2, 1977.  Jackie stopped working outside the home and became fulltime mother, homemaker, and owner of a small needlework shop, Designer Needle Art, operating it out of the house.  In 1979, she also became the office manager of Stan’s new business Designer Software Consultants, Inc.  God blessed the family with another son, Zachary Alden on April 12, 1980.  They were active at Wedgwood Baptist Church, the church Jackie and Stan joined when they moved to Fort Worth.

In January 1988, the family moved to Decatur, Texas so they could raise boys and horses.  Stan closed his business during 1989, and he and Jackie went back to work for other people.  Jackie worked at Decatur Community Hospital as a Medical Technologist from 1989 to 1995.  She then took the job of Director of Clinical Diagnostics at Bowie Memorial Hospital where her responsibilities included the laboratory, respiratory, and cardiopulmonary departments until December 1998.  In 1999 her family doctor asked her to come to work for Wise County Medical and Surgical Association in Decatur to design and manage their in-house medical laboratory.  She was the Laboratory Director there until her retirement in 2019.

In the meantime, God blessed the family with a third son, Charles Frederick, on May 22, 1988 and a fourth son, Caleb Andrew, on September 4, 1989.  Jackie and Stan were active members of First Baptist Church Decatur, serving in many different areas of responsibilities.  As the sons moved through the teenage years, she was often seen at youth retreats and spring ski trips doing whatever needed to be done.

In the fall of 2004, she and Stan became lay youth and education ministers at Bell Baptist Church, Decatur.  Stan led the music and youth; Jackie played the Yamaha Piano for services, offertories, and special music.  She helped plan and support D-NOW weekends, youth camp trips, and all types of fellowships and bible studies.  She and Stan were at Bell Baptist until the summer of 2006.  In 2006 Jackie and Stan again attended FBC Decatur regularly until 2008.

In the fall of 2017, Jackie and Stan bought a small summer rental cabin in southwest Colorado.  Over the next few years with Jackie’s ideas and their combined sweat, they turned it into a year around retreat for family and friends.  Jackie enjoyed dipping a flyrod in the stream and “being in the mountains where God is so much closer.”  The last few years she really enjoyed spending a few days with a couple of grandkids catching some fish.

Jackie loved her family—her husband of 49 years, four sons, eight grandchildren, two sisters, niece and nephew. She was preceded in death by her parents Max and Helen Hardin, her brother-in-law Glenn Hewitt, and her grandson Haddon. She is survived by her husband Stanley Smith of Decatur, Texas, her son Nathaniel Reid Smith of Waco, Texas (wife Ashli, step-granddaughter Kayli, step-grandson Kasen, grandson Koen), her son Zachary Alden Smith of Fort Worth, Texas (wife Brittany, granddaughters Magnolia and Clara), her son Charles Frederick Smith (wife Katy, granddaughter Parker, grandson Hudson), and her son Caleb Andrew Smith (wife Courtney, granddaughter Selah). She is also survived by her sister Jennifer Gay Hardin Kern of Payson, Arizona (husband Ted, niece Heather and family, nephew Tim and family); her sister Jeanine Hardin Hewitt of Maryville, Tennessee (partner Ed Chisholm); and two aunts, Anita Ruth Bush Goodman and Anna Faye Hardin Brooks.

In May 2008, Jackie was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).  It went into remission after four cycles of in-patient chemo.  In September 2009, AML returned.  Jackie started aggressive chemotherapy leading to stem cell transplant (SCT) on February 5, 2010, and follow-up treatment through April.  She remained AML free for 13 years.  In March 2023, it again returned.  With another round of chemo Jackie stayed in remission for twelve months.  In July 2024 the AML relapsed for the third time.  Jackie started and completed one round of outpatient chemo when her weakened body and blood system succumbed to infection and sepsis leading to her passing on September 21, 2024.  Jackie lived for 16 years and four months after her initial diagnosis of AML.  According to the AML statistics that is a phenomenal feat – a true gift from God to her family and all that knew her.  During the fall of 2022 and spring of 2023, she asked God to allow other people to see Him through her, regardless of the cost.  Many people have come to know there is a living God because of Jackie’s life and testimony in and out of the hospital and during treatment.  Even during her last 24 hours at least 30-40 doctors, nurses, techs, assistants, custodians knew that Jackie worshipped the Creator and left her physical, Disease ridden body on the hospital bed at God’s invitation to join Him in Glory.  When they disconnected all the IV pumps and ventilator, she was already gone.

If you would like to make a donation in Jackie’s honor, the family requests that you consider the Leukemia Research Foundation (leukemiarf.org), The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (lls.org) or Texans on Mission, 5351 Catron Dr, Dallas, TX 75227 or (texansonmission.org)