| About |
3rd cousin. Her grandmother was Ruth GREEN Dale. I recall Debbi as a child taking care of her younger brother who we would visit. ALBA, Mo. — Debra Kaye (Dale) Smith, age 50, passed away Friday, Jan. 22, 2010. She was born March 4, 1959, in Joplin, Mo., to James A. Dale and Kim Marie (Leakey) Dale. Debra grew up and was raised by her paternal grandparents, Verne and Ruth (Green) Dale in Alba and lived in this area all her life. She married Douglas W. Smith on Oct. 25, 1980, at the Friends Church in Alba. They were divorced in 2004. He survives. They had one son, Jeremy A. Smith, of Webb City, who survives. Other survivors include her father, James A. Dale, of Columbus, Kan.; one brother, Jerry A. Dale, of Oronogo, Mo.; half-brothers, Mike Dale, of Joplin, Carl Nichols, of Phoenix, Ariz., and Tony Nichols, of Blue Springs, Mo.; one half-sister, Dawn Barbee, of Rockport, Mo.; and her stepfather, Richard E. Salmen, of Independence, Mo. Debra remained close to her in-laws, Ray and Mary Smith, of Webb City, Pat and George Moody, of Lawton, Okla., and Don and Stacy Smith, of Salem, Mo.; four nieces; a nephew; five great-nephews; and host of aunts, uncles and cousins including her aunt, Nancy Lee, of Joplin. She was preceded in death by her mother, Kim Dale. Debra attended church regularly and was baptized at Purcell Baptist Church in 1998. Debra graduated from Webb City High School in 1977 and received her degree in Practical Nursing from Missouri Southern in 2003. She then went on to work for Oxford Healthcare for a number of years. Debra was self-employed at the time of her death. She had a great love of animals, liked to read, grow flowers and bake. Debra was a member of the Heart to Heart Club. Funeral services for Debra Smith will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Simpson Funeral Home in Webb City. Burial will follow in Friends Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. |
