Estelle H (Harbin) Smith

Mrs. Estelle Harbin Smith was blessed with life beginning on December 26, 1934, in Yantley, Alabama to Ms. Sadie Mae McRae and Mr. Raymond Watkins.  She was reared by her grandmother and grandfather until the age of 13, and moved to Yantley, Alabama to live with her mother, Sadie Mae Harbin and James Harbin.

She was baptized at an early age and became a member of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church.

Estelle attended school and graduated from the Choctaw County Training School in 1954.  She married her high school sweetheart, Percy Lee Smith, in Butler, Alabama.  They lived in the Ararat Community.

Estelle went to college and received her degree in Early Childhood Education but had to leave school to work full-time because of her husband’s death.  She worked at Vanity Fair Mills, Inc., and returned to college taking night courses at Meridian Community College and Patrick Henry College.  Estelle later enrolled in Livingston University and got her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, after going on and off for 19 years.  She was very determined to get her degree.  Estelle worked at Kinterbish Jr. High School in Sumter County, Alabama for 29 years.  She was a kindergarten teacher and a 1st grade teacher.  Estelle also worked for M&M Daycare in Pushmataha, Alabama, under Mrs. Thelma Craig.  She always stressed to her nieces and nephews how important it is to get a good education.

Estelle was preceded by her mother: Sadie Mae Harbin; father, Raymond Watkins; stepfather, Willie James Harbin; brothers, Henderson Mills, Sr. and Louis McClure; sisters, Lillie Pearl McClure and Elcie Legertha Ephein; two nephews, Henry M. Harbin and Frederick Curtis; one niece, Beatrice Pringle Goines.

Estelle went home to be with the Lord on Monday, January 29, 2024, at the age of 89, at the home of her sister, Fannie Jenkins, surrounded by her loving and devoted family.

Estelle leaves to cherish her beautiful memories: sisters, Willie Mae (Ezell) Pringle, Fannie Jenkins (Samuel Jenkins, deceased), Evelyn Watkins, Vera V. Horn (Ray), Mary Frances Watkins, Lancaster, CA, and Annie Ruth Watkins; one brother, Willie Watkins (May); and a host of nieces, nephews, and friends.