Barbara Ruth Hays, nee Smith, 

of Richmond, Virginia, passed away peacefully after a brief illness.

Barbara was born and raised in Geary, Oklahoma to Clyde “Snap” E. Smith and Freda R. Smith, the

youngest of 3 children. She was outdoorsy as a child, loved swimming and became a lifeguard at the

Geary pool as a teenager. Barbara, the homecoming queen, married her Geary High School sweetheart,

Jess, the captain of the football team (go Bison!), and had 2 sons, David (Michelle) in Escondido,

California and Michael (Judy) in Richmond, Virginia.

Jess was stationed in San Diego when they divorced, and she remained there until she moved back to

Geary to take care of her dad. She later moved to Richmond to be closer to her grandsons, Thomas and

Nicholas.

Over her career, Barbara was a word processor in the 1970’s and 1980’s, and an engineering document

publisher for Ball Aerospace, on projects including the Hubble telescope. Her last position was a

customer service rep for J. C. Penney catalog in Richmond, confirming her hatred of the telephone.

Barbara retired in 2010 and loved spending time with her favorite dog, Sadie. She briefly relocated to

Geary but returned to Richmond for the rest of her days. Barbara enjoyed crocheting and made hats

and booties for friends and for infants in a local hospital.

Barbara’s idea of heaven was to be reunited with all the pets she ever loved. She is surrounded by

Prissy Kay, Mr. Peppers, Ginger, Chica, Sadie and Charlie and various strays she took in throughout her

life. Nothing would make her happier.

In addition to her sons, daughters-in-law and grandsons, Barbara is survived by her sister, Catherine

Williams of Geary, and brother-in-law Don Williams, along with her beloved nieces and nephews.

Interment is to be in Geary Cemetery at a future date.