Skeets (Hamlin) Smith born 10/09/1940 passed away, peacefully, at the home of her daughter on the morning of 11/30/2024, in East Texas. She was 84 years of age.

Skeets given name, at birth, was Roxie Oleta Hamlin. Her parents, Lawrence (Rab) and Bessie Hamlin had, previously, birthed three children. Skeets was number four. Her twin brother, Oscar, was number five. Lawrence and Bessie went on to birth six more children, eleven in all. Eight girls and 3 boys.

Skeets and her siblings were raised in Bunch, Oklahoma, a small town southwest of Stilwell, in the Cookson hills. No stranger to poverty, they lived in a small “shack” just north of town. Skeets used to say that all the kids would get their only set of shoes in the fall, just before the winter chill set in. Otherwise, they were barefoot. And they, regularly, bathed in Sallisaw creek. Her dad drove the school bus for the Cave Springs school system and her mom made sure the kids stayed fed and clothed. Picking strawberries was another source of income.

Skeets migrated to Clinton, Oklahoma shortly after graduating from high school. She took a job at the Hub City drive-in, located where the Sonic drive-in is today. It was there that she met Bruce Tharp. They were married on 12/14/1961. She told me she thought the sun rose and set with Bruce Tharp. They were blessed with two children, Tammie Sue and Danny Russell. While living in Clinton, Skeets worked at the Hub City, the Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Kellwood and Shantel Trading post. She and Bruce divorced after, nearly, 16 years of marriage.

She and her children moved to Oklahoma City, where she married her second husband, John Smith, in the summer of 1978. John had nine children of his own. Together they built two homes in the Choctaw area and later moved to Meeker and then on to Shawnee. During their time together, Skeets worked a variety of jobs from running a filling station, working for Phillip Morris (on Tinker Air Force base), and owning/operating the Skeets House of Ribs, in Midwest City. She and John were married for nearly 35 years, until his passing in 2013. It was from Shawnee that she migrated to East Texas, in 2015, to be close to her daughter Tammie and husband Steve Filippo.

Preceding her in death are her parents, Lawrence and Bessie Hamlin; siblings George (Sonny Boy); Vada (Tommi); Irene (Puzzy); Oscar (Hog); Mary (Rusty); Carolyn (Liz); Anthony (Nezer); Euligale (Tooty); and Betty; her first and second husbands, Bruce Tharp and John Smith.

Surviving her is a sister Glendene (Hamlin) Shepherd; daughter Tammie Filippo; son Danny Tharp;seven grandchildren: Joshua Filippo, Deborah White, Llydia Twomey, Miriam Drew, David Tharp, Leah Tharp, Daniel Tharp and eight great grandchildren from her marriage to Bruce Tharp.

From her marriage to John Smith: Sons Michael; David; Richard; Brian; Greg; Timothy; James.

Daughters Suzanne; Stephanie; along with numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. Her Awakening

I had a vision, last night, she was dancing.

And here we are...

She woke up beautiful again.

Sunrise had fallen upon a day of mourning when morning skies would realize the beauty of her passing... the beauty of His Kingdom as another angel gained her wings.

Fallen are the leaves once the trees reach the pinnacle of their glory.

Upon the horizon, the skies had shown the prowess of the Master’s hand, as He painted the Heavens with golden reds to welcome her coming to Him.

As she drew her last breath there was rejoicing in Heaven.

Dan Tharp *For Mom 10/9/1940 - 11/30/2024