Doris Odell Smith

Doris Odell Smith, a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and treasured member of the Prague, Oklahoma community, passed away peacefully on April 20, 2025, at the age of 96.

Doris was born on December 29, 1928, in Belmont, Oklahoma, to Zack Rye Fennel and Mamie Alice (Riggs) Fennel. She grew up with strong family values that would define her life and relationships. A proud graduate of Prague High School, Class of 1948, Doris went on to dedicate much of her life to nurturing others, both in her own family and through her work in the cafeteria of Prague Public Schools from 1978 until her retirement in 1995.

On July 10, 1949, Doris married the love of her life, William C. Smith, at the Prague United Methodist Church. Together, they built a loving home and raised four children: Mark, Dennis, Debbie, and Janet. Doris was a constant presence in her children’s lives, and her legacy continues through her eight grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren, and the many lives she touched.

Doris had a deep and abiding faith. She was a longtime member of the First Baptist Church of Prague, where she lovingly served on the food committee for many years. Her generosity and hospitality were known throughout the community.

Her vibrant spirit extended beyond church. Doris was a proud member of the Red Czech Divas, the Federated Arts Club, and celebrated 50 years with the Eastern Star. She found great joy in gardening, canning, traveling with family, sharing meals with friends and loved ones, and playing lively games of Farkle with her neighbors.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, William C. Smith; her son, Dennis Smith; her sons-in-law, John Smith and Wesley Smith; her daughter-in-law, Peggy Smith; her sisters, Freda May Nichols, Delora V. Walenta, Mary Jane Bigham, Bobbie Yvonne Gaston and Dorothy Lucille Harden; and her brothers, Richard Gerald Fennel, Chester Lee Fennel, Howard Leslie Fennel, Kenneth Gene Fennel and Zach Rye Fennel Jr.

Those left to cherish Doris’s memory are her children, William Mark Smith and his wife, Saundra, Debra Lynn Harden and her husband David, and Janet Kay Coffey; eight grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren and a host of family and cherished friends.

Her memory will forever be a blessing to all who knew her.